Brilliant video. I just want you to know that you're not just helping Australians but also international students like myself who want to be safe in Australia :)
I had an extremely fortunate escape recently. One night working in a rural western NSW town, I started feeling really nauseous and cramping. Then a fever started. Went home and fell asleep. Slept all the next day. Woke feeling much better. A day later my leg was really itchy and I noticed two or three bite locations. 1 on back of my calf and at least one possible two close together on inside of leg just above top of boot. Both had a massive bruise emanating outwards. Punctures marks were about 10mm apart. I literally had no idea, I don’t remember any pain or feeling of being bitten, and to be honest the initial symptoms I thought I was just getting sick with some bug. I look back now and realise, firstly I should’ve got medical help, and how damn lucky I was, that it was most likely dry bites.
Thank you for this video, we aren't taught these important things during school unfortunately. I've shared on my Facebook profile to get the info out! Legend.
This is a really great video & I agree with you that snake bite first and should be taught in all schools. I grew up in the N.T and over the years seen so many snakes out in the wild as I've spent a lot of time out bush etc. I love snakes & they're my favourite reptile, I live in Vic now & still love going for walks in the National Parks etc as I do a lot of photography & I just love nature. For many years I've carried at least 2-3 compression bandages in my camera bag & been laughed at so many times because of it, but I don't care as my safety comes first & of course I hope that I'll never need to use them for a snake bite. I did come across a guy once on one of my photography walks who'd Sprained his ankle, so I applied one of my bandages & then told him to use my monopod to help him hobble back to the car park. I was having a chat with him while he was waiting for a couple of mates to get him & his car. He asked me why I carry bandages with me (thinking I was a nurse), I told him I'm not a nurse etc but I carry them mainly for the purpose should I ever get bitten by a snake the bandages will buy me more time, but they also come in handy for these situations as well. I had a good chat with him about snakes, basic safety etc & suggested he do some research & always be prepared when going on bush walks etc. I was most surprised that when his mates came to get him he gave me some cash to cover the cost of the bandage, I wasn't bothered by the couple of dollars the bandage cost. I've also had a couple of close encounters with snakes while out mostly them Slithering in front of me on paths or not seeing them basking, but I just respect them & had no issues. A little bit of common sense goes a long way as well as being prepared!
Wearing a whistle on a lanyard when bush walking or out in a paddock is a great habit.... even if you have mobile phone reception, you never know when you'll find your battery is flat... that way you can lie still and call for help from quite a distance.
Great info, Nick! If I could add one thing, it’s a good idea to take the snake bandage out of its cellophane wrapper before heading out because you don’t want to be fumbling around trying to get it out during a likely very stressful situation. Thanks, Nick!
Thanks mate! I do normally say that whenever I used to sell snake bandages! I guess using the bandage I cart around every single day it totally slipped my mind 😂
I’m pretty sure I got it from your earlier video on snake bite! (I see lots of tiger snakes on a trail run I do during spring so always take a bandage because of you.)
This should be a public announcement. I live in taipan country and most people in rural areas are pretty averse to snake bite procedure, but we are a small percentage of the population.
Having trawled the Tube and the Net generally, this video seemed to be just about the best, in my view on the subject. Probably the only thing I'd suggest to add at step 2 is to make that emergency contact call if within range in order to reduce the time taken for help to arrive. Thanks so much for your contribution.
A great reminder to me to come back to this video, as once again I have a beautiful silver grey brown snake in my bird aviaries. The poor birds went into their aggressive screaming mode, it always tells me a snake is here. Thanks Mr G'day G'day
Really well done Nick, even though this doesn’t apply to me directly I want to leave a comment to boost your engagement! Great tips, I agree that everyone in Australia should know this stuff. Awesome work! - Harrison and Evan
Thanks for this. More really good content! What I'd like to see is a video about how ordinary people should respond to snakes when they encounter them in different situations. I taught my kids when they were little and I think most people are sensible but it's surprising how many encounters are happening along our creeks in Melbourne. Take care mate!
Thank you, Nick! God bless you, your family and all of your critters! I pray for your channel to grow, and that demand for your ability to teach and share your knowledge with folks to increase!
Great information. I learned a few things that surprised me. I'm not familiar with any snake bite kits in the USA. I hope our snake keepers of Australian snakes species have these kites in their possession. Luckily, our venomous snakes aren't nearly as dangerous as what you have there.
Worth updating to talk about the better bandages available now. The ones shown weren’t designed originally for snake bites and aren’t the optimal pressure.
I know it probably differs slightly from person to person, but how long do you generally have before serious complications arise (like unconsciousness) after an elapid evenomation?
You always want to have the bite site below the heart. If on the hand or arm, keep the arm down against your side. If on the leg, keep the patient sitting down. When standing, you're still using muscles to remain upright which can increase venom spread, whereas sitting down greatly reduces this. Do not lay the patient down, as we are trying to utilise gravity to avoid the spread of the venom, and laying down negates that.
You should never wash off the bite site, in some situations the drs can identify what specific type of antivenom you need based on a swab of the bite site Although most hospitals would now use a polyvalent/universal antivenom washing provides minimal benifits and reduces medical options
It’s certainly not a toy, but I own these snakes and work with them for a living, and it’s a simple fact that but including the snake in the video more people are willing to watch and thus learn something that might save their own lives one day
Third most toxicly venomous snake on earth behind the Beaked Sea snake then the Fierce snake. Eastern Brown is number 3 although the Coastal Taipan and Mulga snake delivers a greater volume of venom.
