THE SCARIEST THINGS ABOUT MELBOURNE AND AUSTRALIA IN GENERAL

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Had a brown snake in my back yard in Melbourne a few times very dangerous had to call a snake catcher.

 

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https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/aust...-snake-in-tamworth/ar-BBIeq3w?ocid=spartanntp

Man, 24, dies after being bitten by a snake in Tamworth

A Tamworth man has died in hospital after being bitten by a suspected brown snake.

The 24-year-old passed away in Tamworth hospital late on Wednesday night, despite the frantic efforts of emergency staff to save him.

The man was bitten by what is believed to be a brown snake in the backyard of a Cole Road home in West Tamworth, shortly before 10pm.

It's believed the man was bitten as he tried to move the snake away from a family pet.

He was rushed to Tamworth hospital by family, but passed away within an hour of the bite.

The man's death will now be referred to the coroner, who will rule on the official cause of death.


On Thursday, Tamworth police were unable to comment on the matter but said a report was being prepared for the coroner.

A spokesperson for Hunter New England Health declined to comment on any admission and said it was a police matter.

The death of the man has shocked the local community, as well as friends and colleagues, and came as the New England North West sweltered through another day of temperatures above 35 degrees.

Eastern brown snakes most commonly spotted snakes
WIRES volunteer Jacob McGoldrick, one of the group's reptile handlers, said he was very saddened to hear of the young man's death in Tamworth.

The local branch had had about 20 call-outs to snake sightings this warm season.

"There's been quite a few this spring and summer, but a lot of the time I've gone to the houses or wherever the snake is and they've moved on, which they tend to do," he told The Leader.

Mr McGoldrick said Eastern brown snakes were the most frequently sighted, but red-bellied black snakes and yellow-faced whip snakes were also pretty common.

He said if someone came across a snake, they should stand still until it moves away, call WIRES on 1300 094 737 and, if possible, keep an eye on it.

"Snakes aren't out to get us, and the best thing people can do is educate themselves about snakes," he said.

"They aren't an aggressive animal, they're just defensive."

Mr McGoldrick said that, in the event of a bite, it was important to stay calm, use a compression bandage, stay still and call Triple-0.

It's believed there have been fewer than 40 deaths from snake bites in Australia since 2000, with the brown snake considered to be one of the deadliest in the country.

 

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https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/aust...el-web-spider-bite/ar-AAuAiqm?ocid=spartanntp

Quick-thinking parents save son after funnel web spider bite

© Supplied Riley Schmidt, 7, was bitten by a funnel web on January 7. His quick thinking parents, Kayla and Stephen, saved the day. A quick-thinking mum and dad saved their son from the wrath of a deadly spider in the Southern Highlands last week.

Seven-year-old Riley Schmidt was ready to dress up in his Harry Potter costume last Sunday just before 6pm - but something deadly hiding inside the outfit stopped him.

As Riley tried to put his costume on, a funnel web spider bit him on the finger.

"It hurt and it felt very sharp," he said.

© Supplied Riley (in the maroon shirt) pictured with mum Kayla, dad Stephen, brothers Brayton and Hudson and sister Henley.
The brave little boy from Hill Top, north of Mittagong, showed his mum and dad the bite with hardly a tear, but Kayla and Stephen Schmidt's protective instinct immediately kicked into gear.

Kayla wrapped Riley's hand in a compression bandage and called an ambulance, while Stephen captured the spider in a container.

"I did first aid training with the kid's soccer club and we learnt exactly what to do in case of a spider or snake bite," Mrs Schmidt said.

"At the time we all thought 'what are we going to need this for' but it came in very handy," she said.

Stephen said the spider was "fired-up" when he caught it.

"It was jumping around in the container and you could hear its fangs hitting the plastic," he said.

When Riley got to Bowral and District Hospital, nurses and doctors were very impressed with how calm Kayla, Stephen and Riley were, and how well first aid measures had been applied.

Bowral and District Hospital's Dr Matthew Bragg said Kayla's tourniquet technique was fantastic.

"She did a really great job putting on the pressure immobilising bandaging and calmed him down," he said.

"He had no sign of any envenoming when he arrived and I think that was because she had done such a great job of applying first aid."

After doctors saw the spider Stephen had brought in, they administered Riley with anti-venom before he was transferred to Randwick Children's Hospital.

"My hand got really fat," Riley said.

"It started with his fingers and then the rest of his hand started to swell as well," Mrs Schmidt said.

"But the anti-venom worked really quickly and we started to see him improve 10 or so minutes after he had it."

Mr Schmidt said the spider was taken to Taronga Zoo after the incident.

"Part of the reason we brought the spider in was because we had heard there was a shortage of anti-venom," he said.

Funnel web spiders are milked for the venom at a reptile park in Gosford, the venom is then transported to Melbourne so the anti-venom can be created.

The spiders are more likely to attack in summer, as they like hot, moist weather.

Dr Bragg said the best thing to do when first bitten was to remain calm.

"If you've been bitten by a big black spider pressure immobilisation bandaging is key,' he said.

"Don't run around, keep the area still and call an ambulance; that's the best course of action and that was proven in Riley's case."

While Riley won't be putting his Harry Potter costume on again in future, he's now decided he'd like to be a very particular superhero - Spiderman.

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/aust...el-web-spider-bite/ar-AAuAiqm?ocid=spartanntp