First a heart attack in April and then a venomous snakebite in on October 14; it has been a rough year for Wouter Erasmus (57).
Erasmus, a contractor who resides in Marloth Park, was on a site in the park when some of his workers spotted a Mozambican spitting cobra.
Trying to avoid it being killed, he attempted to catch the snake, but was bitten on his right hand. Erasmus is not new to catching them. He said he had even caught this exact same species without being bitten before – this was his first-ever snakebite. “Once in your lifetime there comes that one…”
He took the snake by its head and pulled it off his hand, gesturing how it had worked its fangs into him. He compared the feeling of removing it to taking a branch with thorns, hooking it into your hand and then pulling it from you skin again.
“From that moment, it started to burn, ever further, ever more, ever worse; then the blood started coming out of the wound.”
According to the African Snakebite Institute, this snake’s venom is potently cytotoxic, causing pain, swelling, blisters, and in many cases, severe tissue damage. Antivenom is effective, but needs to be administered sooner rather than later to prevent tissue damage.
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Luckily for Erasmus, who headed to the local clinic, they called in the assistance of a local snake catcher, Juan de Beer, of Juan’s Reptile Rescue Unit.
“Yolande Dippenaar (a paramedic of Securicon) and I monitored his symptoms and the progression of swelling by making marks on the bite site and noting the time. We got him to elevate his hand just above his heart while he moved and pumped his hand.”
This all happened while waiting for the ambulance to take Erasmus to Mediclinic Nelspruit, a drive he said took about an hour.
In the ambulance he continued to pump his hand. He said as soon as he would stop, the pain level would increase. “My hand was so tired, it didn’t want to pump anymore.”
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At the hospital, he was administered antivenom and morphine.
“Now that was a story. Now you have venom and antivenom in your body fighting each other,” he said.
“As long as the antivenom came in, my whole body was shaking, even my f*ck*ng pinky toe. That was not a lekker feeling.”
But the worst is over for Erasmus, and he was hopeful to get out of hospital by Wednesday or Thursday evening. He hoped that his story would make people aware of the dangers of dealing with snakes.
De Beer has been called out to more than 40 snake encounters in October alone. Erasmus’s incident was the third bite for the month.
De Beer has the following advice when it comes to snakebites:
• The first thing to do is stay calm. The faster your heart beats, the more the venom could spread
• Record the exact time of the bite
• With a pen, mark around the bite site
• If possible, elevate the bite area above the heart
• Mark the progress of any swelling
• Try taking a photo or take note of the snake’s markings, size and colour.
• Do not try to catch or kill the snake, and do not try to cut, suck or squeeze the venom out.
In the Marloth Park area, you can get help from De Beer on 060 665 5000, Securicon on 072 250 7103 or Field Security on 082 828 1043.
