Speaking of Snake bites
I have only gotten to actually see one Snake bite occur.
We were in the Southern Highland Province of Papua New Guinea building a location on a jungle mountain top.
The Boys caught a very large maybe 14-16' Rock python, and because of the elevation and cool temperature of the season, the snake was lethargic.
We had him coiled up on a boardwalk in the camp area and he was just lying there being docile.
Our little Singaporean Dr/medic was looking at it, and was saying "maybe dead, maybe dead" and reached out with his sandal clad foot and poked the snake in the nose, quick as a flash, the snake whose head was nearly the size of both my hands side by side, had latched on to the Dr's right over the instep between the ball of the foot and ankle.
Oh, he went to howling and dancing, The Snake being lethargic, didn't try to really pull away or anything, most of the action was coming from the Dr and that was causing much more flesh tearing that the snake.
The boys grabbed a bush ax and was going to chop his head off, but myself and another Expat intervened and took a stick and pried his mouth open and loose from the foot. The sandal saved the bottom of the foot from injury, but the top had tooth marks and lacerations clear across.
We had the boys take the Snake back out into the bush and turn him loose before anyone else got bit.
The boys said they turned him loose, but I believe he ended up in the community cooking pot as in their camp they rountinely supplemented the rice, tin fish, tin beef that we give them with Tree Kanagroos, Cus Cus, and all kinds of birds.
The Dr self medicated and healed up with out infection, but I bet he never pokes another snake with his toe.
I have a Scorpion story about this same location and same Dr, but I'll save that for a future date.
Mule
We were in the Southern Highland Province of Papua New Guinea building a location on a jungle mountain top.
The Boys caught a very large maybe 14-16' Rock python, and because of the elevation and cool temperature of the season, the snake was lethargic.
We had him coiled up on a boardwalk in the camp area and he was just lying there being docile.
Our little Singaporean Dr/medic was looking at it, and was saying "maybe dead, maybe dead" and reached out with his sandal clad foot and poked the snake in the nose, quick as a flash, the snake whose head was nearly the size of both my hands side by side, had latched on to the Dr's right over the instep between the ball of the foot and ankle.
Oh, he went to howling and dancing, The Snake being lethargic, didn't try to really pull away or anything, most of the action was coming from the Dr and that was causing much more flesh tearing that the snake.
The boys grabbed a bush ax and was going to chop his head off, but myself and another Expat intervened and took a stick and pried his mouth open and loose from the foot. The sandal saved the bottom of the foot from injury, but the top had tooth marks and lacerations clear across.
We had the boys take the Snake back out into the bush and turn him loose before anyone else got bit.
The boys said they turned him loose, but I believe he ended up in the community cooking pot as in their camp they rountinely supplemented the rice, tin fish, tin beef that we give them with Tree Kanagroos, Cus Cus, and all kinds of birds.
The Dr self medicated and healed up with out infection, but I bet he never pokes another snake with his toe.
I have a Scorpion story about this same location and same Dr, but I'll save that for a future date.
Mule
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I've only seen one it was a copperhead biting into my arm was balling hay and he went thru the baler I didn't see him in the bale until it was to late. I still carry the scars from it and that was 45 years ago 0 -
The rock python is African, though perhaps you called the local pythons that. There are actually 4 species of pythons in Papua, 2 of which are large enough to star in your story. 0 -
That was just local Expats from Australia that lived in PNG referred to them as, so hence that's what we called them.He Dog said:The rock python is African, though perhaps you called the local pythons that. There are actually 4 species of pythons in Papua, 2 of which are large enough to star in your story.
All three of the big pythons I saw there were all very dark in coloration.
I did see many pale green ones that were anywhere from 8' to 12' or so and the biggest maybe 2"-2 1/2" in diameter and they were referred to as tree pythons or carpet snakes.
Mule0 -
Green tree pythons, beloved by snake fanciers. I never saw one over 5 feet, even captive raised. Extremely arboreal. 0
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