Father of 2 Dead After Neighbor Hears Screams for Help - He Was Gone Before Paramedics Got There
An Australian man died Saturday morning after being bitten by a snake in the backyard of his Queensland home.
The man, described as a father of two in his 60s, died before paramedics could arrive, Australia’s News.com reported Sunday.
The species of snake that bit the man has been tentatively identified as the Australian eastern brown snake.
According to Everything Reptiles, the species is the most venomous snake in the world.
A man has died after a suspected Eastern Brown snake bite North of the Gold Coast this weekend.
Paramedics responded to Kensington Grove yesterday morning but were too late to save the father in his 60s. #9News
Read more: https://t.co/l1mpkPpoaA pic.twitter.com/2JK3MUZznl
— 9News Gold Coast (@9NewsGoldCoast) January 29, 2023
Michelle Vedredi, who lives next door to the victim, said investigators were taking photos of an area between the man’s house and a shed in his yard, according to The Courier-Mail in Brisbane.
“Someone told me they could hear his wife screaming through the fence for help before ambulances got there,” she said, adding that she was not home at the time of the attack.
Vedredi said a few days before the attack, she saw an eastern brown snake in her yard.
“I just quickly got my dog inside and then it started moving on toward [the man’s] yard, so I let the lady in the granny flat behind me know,” she said. “I was shocked by how fast it moved.”
Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers contractor Heather McMurray said Queensland is at the peak of snake season, which runs from October through April.
“The heat and the humidity is certainly bringing [snakes] out – the pythons are loving the humidity and the brown snakes are loving the hot, dry days,” she said, according to News.com.
this is eastern brown snake pic.twitter.com/nvIqRVNE9e
— AnnieMae 👩🏼🦰🇳🇬🇺🇸 (@berna_annie) January 21, 2023
Tony Harrison of Harrison’s Gold Coast and Brisbane Snake Catcher said human-snake interactions are rising.
“It’s the time of the year where we are at our busiest, we’re getting 10 to 15 callouts per day,” he said, according to Australia’s 9News.
“If anyone sees a snake, try not to interact with it, as this may cause the animal to defend itself. If it is venomous, then things can go south quickly,” Harrison said.
“Baby snakes are starting to appear and be on the move so please keep an eye out for them at your homes and businesses,” Stuart McKenzie of Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers said, according to Yahoo News Australia.
Lockyer Valley snake catcher Chris Jennings said the development of traditional snake habitats has sent them into areas they might not normally go, according to the U.K.’s Daily Mail.
Wildlife enthusiast Dan Rumsey urged people to remain calm if bitten by a snake, according to 9News.
“Don’t panic. The sooner you get the bandage on and stay still the better,” he said. “Your body will have a slower reaction to the venom if you are envenomated.”
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