Bite in kindergarten

Australian man tried to catch highly venomous snake: dead

The eastern brown snake may look inconspicuous, but its venom is highly effective.

(Bild: Ken Griffiths/stock.adobe.com)

A man in Australia has died trying to remove one of the world's most venomous snakes from a kindergarten. The 47-year-old was bitten several times in the left arm by the animal, the Australian broadcaster ABC reported on Wednesday, citing the rescue services. It was probably an eastern brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis).

The accident occurred in a suburb of Townsville in the tropical state of Queensland on the east coast. The victim probably did not know at first whether it was a poisonous snake or not. Instead of calling the emergency services, the man drove home, where his wife treated him first, it was said. She immediately immobilized his arm and applied compression bandages. When the first symptoms appeared shortly afterwards, she called the emergency services.

Spokesperson: "Dial emergency number immediately"
However, a cardiac arrest occurred shortly afterwards. The man was taken to hospital in a critical condition, but died shortly afterwards. "If you don't know anything about snakes, treat them all as if they are poisonous and call 911 immediately," warned local authority spokeswoman Paula Marten.

Brown snake responsible for most deaths in Australia
In Australia, an average of one to two people die each year from snake bites - the vast majority in recent years from attacks by the Eastern Brown Snake, which is common throughout most of the country.