Flooding in Thailand? Watch out for snakes!

Lately, tropical rain showers in Thailand have caused a lot of inconvenience. The flooding caused damage to homes, roads and agricultural crops. Due to the abundance of water, many animals also come into the vicinity of people.

A large crocodile swam in one of the many klongs in Bangkok. There was no way to catch them and the chance of escape was high. So it was shot down.

Other animals that come closer to residential areas are snakes, which seek out dry spots in houses. In many places there is the possibility to have these animals caught, which happens. Some people have a certain skill to do this themselves, but that doesn't always go well. This week a man was bitten in the leg. There was no serum available for this type of snake and an important vein was removed from his leg in emergency surgery.

Another man cut off a snake's head with a machete. He later threw the head into a tub of hot water, apparently to make something edible out of it. In a convulsion, the head flew out of the water and bit the man on the arm. This one died 20 minutes later from the still active poison.

A man in Texas shoveled off a rattlesnake's head with a shovel. When he wanted to clean up the remains, he was still poisoned and ended up in the hospital. After a week and 26 anti-venom injections, his condition is stable, but the kidneys are affected. The head of a rattlesnake can function for a long time just like the venom glands, even after twelve hours.

It is wise to stay away from snakes and leave the catching to others.

A killed snake can therefore still be life-threatening!