DURBAN - KwaZulu-Natal South Coast residents have said they see stiletto snakes often after a young man was bitten by one over the weekend.
A snake catcher in the area, Sarel van der Merwe, said that over the weekend he received a call in the early hours about a snakebite. He said the caller’s son had been bitten by a snake the cat had brought in.
“The snake had bitten him on his finger. The snake’s mouth was full of blood, so I couldn’t be sure if it was a stiletto snake or not,” Van der Merwe said about a photograph the family had sent to him.
He said he was not going to drive to Umtentweni in the early hours; instead, the family drove to him with the snake and as he suspected, it was a stiletto snake.
“If gripped behind the head, the stiletto snake just protrudes a fang and twists its head sideways to inflict a bite from a single fang. The venom of this snake, though not generally considered potentially fatal, is potently cytotoxic causing severe pain, swelling, blistering and in many cases tissue damage,” Van der Merwe said.
He said he told the family that there was nothing doctors would do for the son because there was no antivenom for a stiletto snake bite. Instead, he would have to give himself a few days to recover and take painkillers.
“As there is no antivenom, doctors can only treat for pain, rehydrate the patient and then wait a few days to see how extensive the tissue damage is,” Van der Merwe said.
By Monday afternoon, Van der Merwe informed the Daily News that the victim’s left index finger was in a bad condition and he was being rushed to the hospital.
“Guys the rule is: don't pick up snakes if you don't know what you are dealing with.”
He said stiletto snakes were not often found in the South Coast, but people have said they see them regularly on their properties.
Daily News