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Mama, watch out for your babies!
Our current drought conditions create a greater amount of snakebites being treated due to the very dry weather. This picture will make you really think about that. Four young children were playing in the yard when this 7 foot 6 inch long rattle snake was discovered. Moms and dads, you need to be watchful when going out into your yards and gardens to water and before letting your little ones out to play.
When I first saw the picture of this bad boy I was sure it was photo shopped. Snakes just don’t get that big near Austin, this certainly had to be fake to make the story more graphic.
Today I called Robin Jackson at the Manor police department (512)-272-8177 and asked her to debunk this story and let me know just how big this rattle snake really was. Her answer shocked me; she told me the story was real. She said, “Our police Chief stands over 6’1” and from the picture you can see the snake is well over 7 feet long. We didn’t measure it, but we believe it was at least 7’ 6’ long and weighed over 90 pounds. There was much speculation on what the snake had just eaten, was it a dog, a cat, a small child? We did autopsy the snake to see what was in it. If the snake hadn’t recently eaten it wouldn’t have been lethargic and probably have bitten one or more of the children.”
When the mother first saw the snake she got her next door neighbor and he rushed over with a shovel. When he saw the snake he called the police. The Chief showed up with a .410 shoot gun and quickly dispatched the snake. If you’re still not sure of the validity of this story you don’t have to go to Snopes, I listed the phone number and contact person above.
Last year over 10,000 men, women and children were bitten by snakes in the US. Over a third of these were from venomous snakes. Baby venomous snakes are far more dangerous than adults. A baby snake will inject all its poison in a single bite; an adult will inject only a small portion of its poison. During drought conditions like were currently experiencing this number may double. For your protection and the protection of your family check your yard before you work in it and especially if your children are going to be playing in it.
Chris has more than 20 years of professional-safety experience. As the marketing manager for DuPont’s environmental and safety services, he has seen firsthand the safety challenges faced by plant personnel while working with more than 600 chemical, petrochemical and manufacturing facilities. Chris is an award-winning international safety speaker and author. Contact Chris here if you have any questions or suggestions.
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