A man who was bitten by a snake took the reptile to an emergency care unit so a doctor could find the correct anti-venom.
Images show the man waiting patiently in a hospital in the Brazilian municipality of Guarujá. He had been bitten on the right hand by a venomous jararaca snake.
In a statement later reported by the Brazilian media outlet Globo, Guarujá City Hall said the patient was admitted to the hospital by himself, where the snake was held with him in a plastic bag. The Environmental Defense Group, part of the Municipal Civil Guard, was called to collect the snake which was later released safely at the Morro da Barra, a hill in the Mantiqueira Mountains nearby.
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The man had been bitten by the snake when he discovered it while he was working. After trying to remove the reptile, it bit him on the right hand.
(Image: g1.globo.com)
Unsure of what type of snake it was, the man promptly captured it and took it with him to the hospital.
Biologist Daniel Monteiro Bortone told Globo the snake is common in the Baixada Santista region, the region of Brazil where Guarujá is situated. According to a translation of the Globo report, Monteiro Bortone said: “This group of jararacas is the one that causes the most accidents in Brazil. This is because it is [formed by] several different species, which are distributed throughout the country.”
The painful bites caused by the jararaca can cause “severe pain, swelling and haemorrhage,” the biologist also said people who are bitten by it should wash the bite with soap, drink lots of water and also seek medical care.
The scientist added: “You should not make cuts around the bite, try to suck out the venom, and certainly not use a tourniquet when bitten by a snake. All of this only makes the victim’s condition worse.”
(Image: g1.globo.com)
Wildlife Preservation Canada explained that the snake venom from the jararaca has actually been quite helpful to humans over the years as it was used to help with some of the first medicine for high blood pressure “and other heart conditions, up to and including congestive heart failure”.
The animal advocates added: “The jararaca ranges from southern Brazil into northern Argentina and west into Paraguay. Within this area, it is predominantly a forest-dwelling snake, feeding and breeding during the wet season and much less active when the weather becomes drier.
“The snakes mostly use the forest canopy as a nursery, mating in the treetops and giving birth to live young in the higher branches; there the juveniles can safely hide from predators and feed on frogs.
“The adults usually live lower down and feed on rodents on the forest floor. The jararaca largely avoids humans by keeping to the forests and being active mostly at night, however, this snake is known to foray into the urban landscapes around São Paolo.”
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