Daily Reptile News

Study finds no frogs in Hundred Islands

ALAMINOS CITY—There are no frogs in the Hundred islands

National Park here. But in these islands dotting the Lingayen Gulf in western Pangasinan, turtles, lizards, bats, monkeys and snakes abound.

This was the finding of a study by the Sagip Lingayen Gulf Project that was implemented by the Marine Environment and Resources Foundation Inc. and funded by the Dutch government.

The study was made to “respond to the lack of information on the terrestrial wildlife resources” of the park and to inventory and assess plant and animal species on the islands.

Mayor Hernani Braganza said the survey was made to help the city government create an environmental monitoring program to protect the islands’ habitats.

The study said frogs were not caught, heard or seen in the islands visited by the team.

“The lack of fresh water source in the islands may explain their absence. The rainwater trapped on tree holes is most likely to be salty due to the saltwater spray from the sea,” it said.

The team, however, only looked for frogs in Governor’s and Monkey Islands, two major islands in the park that has 123 islands and islets.

The team said local guides saw at least three kinds of sea turtles—Green Sea Turtle, Olive Ridley and a species of red turtle.

“No terrestrial turtle was observed by the group nor reported by the local guides in the park,” it said.

The team said it saw a gecko in a rock crevice inside the Virgin Island Cave. Another lizard, Gekko monarchus (spotted house gecko), was caught in a small tree along the beach forest on Governor’s Island.

Gecko eggshells in rock crevices were found in the different areas of the island. Distinctive gecko calls were heard in Century Island, where the team found eggs.

“The local guides reported that monitor lizards (bayawak) were present in some islands. The flora group flushed one monitor lizard on Camantiles Island,” the study said.

A trap for monitor lizard, considered a delicacy by some, was found by the team on Century Island, indicating some locals are hunting the animal.

In the Virgin Island Cave, the study team found a skin of sea krait, a type of sea snake, between rock crevices. A live sea snake (Laticauda colubrine) was caught in the same cave.

“A dead sea snake was seen floating off Monkey Island that we passed by on our way to the Governor’s Island,” the team said.

“Local guides claim that there are reticulated pythons in the Governor’s Island and several other islands,” it said.

The team also found various species of bats and rodents on the Governor’s and Century Islands.

The researchers believed that palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) lives on Monkey and Camantiles Islands after seeing droppings there.

The team did not see a live long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) but found a skull of a mature monkey on one side of the Monkey Island.

The team said marine mammals

, like dugong and a Fraser’s dolphin, have been seen in the national park

‘That’s not a snake bite!’ What doctors told woman bitten by adder which could have killed her

A mother-of-three bitten by a poisonous adder in her garden was forced to research her own wounds on the internet and consult a snake expert after doctors twice failed to recognise the puncture marks as a snake bite.

Janet Coxen had been standing among shrubs in her garden in her flip flops and hadn’t spotted the snake lurking in the shade.

So when the 54-year-old felt a sharp sting on her right calf and noticed a couple of bleeding puncture marks she thought she’d cut herself on a shrub.

But the next day the foster care adviser, from Chandler’s Ford, Hampshire, was suffering with headaches and her leg was so painful she couldn’t put her foot on the ground.

She claimed doctors at Eastleigh Health Centre and Royal Hampshire County Hospital, in Winchester, both failed to spot the marks had come from a snake.

It was after researching her injuries on the internet, Mrs Coxen’s friends became convinced that she had been bitten by an adder.

She then contacted a reptile expert and Mrs Coxen was finally given the right treatment at Southampton General Hospital.

Now furious Mrs Coxen is demanding answers and, following a formal complaint, Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust has launched an investigation.

Puncture marks: Doctors failed to recognise the wounds as a snake bitePuncture marks: Doctors failed to recognise the wounds as a snake bite

‘I was in absolute agony, a searing pain was shooting down my leg and my foot was so swollen I couldn’t put it on the floor,’ said Mrs Coxen.

‘There were two puncture marks on my leg and I remember joking that it looked like I’d been bitten by a vampire – but I never thought they could’ve been from a snake.

‘The first doctor I visited said she thought the bite marks were from a midge and merely joked that it could’ve been a snake.

‘I was given antibiotics but the pain wouldn’t go away so the girls at work had a look on the internet and became convinced I’d been bitten by an adder.

‘I was terrified and rushed straight to A&E but the doctor who saw me categorically said it was not a snake bite because the marks were too far apart.’

Mrs Coxen was sent home from the hospital with some penicillin for the infection that had flared up around the marks.

But her friends were so convinced doctors had got it wrong they took pictures of her leg and emailed them to reptile expert Adie Roberts, from Grange Reptiles in nearby Botley.

Mr Roberts immediately recognised the marks as an adder bite and called a friend at London Zoo to confirm his suspicions.

He urged Mrs Coxen to get straight to Southampton General Hospital.

Mr Roberts even called ahead to let them know a woman with a very serious snake bite was on her way.

Mrs Coxen, who is now on the road to recovery said: ‘I was really scared, I just wanted to get it sorted.’

At the hospital a consultant confirmed Ms Coxen had been bitten by an adder, she was given intravenous antibiotics and kept in over night.

Hidden danger: This Death Adder is far more venomous than the type commonly found in Britain, where there are around 100 bites annually and where 15 fatalities have been recorded since 1876 (file photo)Hidden danger: This Death Adder is far more venomous than the type commonly found in Britain, where there are around 100 bites annually and where 15 fatalities have been recorded since 1876 (file photo)

A spokesman for Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust spokesman said: ‘We are sorry if Mrs Coxen feels the care she received in A&E fell below our normal high standard.

‘We received her complaint this morning and we are now investigating the matter.’

It is thought the adder had ventured in to Ms Coxen’s garden seeking shade in the recent hot weather.

Mr Roberts, from Grange Reptiles, said: ‘I knew immediately from the picture she sent it was definitely an adder bite.

‘There is simply nothing else it could be, and I think it is horrific the doctors didn’t pick up on it.’

Adders usually grow up to 19 inches long but some females have been known to grow up to more than three feet.

The species, which lives for around 15 years, favours heath land and grassy areas but it is rarely seen and avoids humans.

There are thought to be around 100 bites a year across Britain but only 15 fatalities have been recorded since 1876.

Experts warn those who have been bitten by an adder not to attempt first aid themselves but rather to immediately call for medical help.

Jewellery should be removed from affected limb and, if possible, the bite should not be touched.

While few people die through adder bites in this country those who do often suffer heart attacks as the venom causes the blood to clot.

Snake bite victim says he’ll get a goldfish next time

After he gets out of the hospital, Barry Painter Sr. does not plan to get another venomous pet snake like the one that bit him last week.

“I’ll probably get a goldfish,” Painter, 38, said Tuesday in a phone interview from his room at Community General Hospital in Harrisburg.

“The worse thing that can happen there is a goldfish tank could fall on me,” he said.

Painter was flown to the hospital after his pet western Gaboon viper bit him twice on his left hand on the night of Aug. 11. In retrospect, he regrets keeping such a dangerous animal as a pet.

“It was a mistake, keeping a deadly snake like that. I had it for over four years. I got it when it was 8 inches long and it was almost 5 feet long when it bit me,” he said.

A press release issued by Pennsylvania State Police in Chambersburg on Thursday said Painter was intoxicated and playing with the viper when he was bitten.

Painter contends that he was not intoxicated, and that he was attempting to remove the normally docile snake from its aquarium in order to change the bedding.

“I’m on state parole. I had no drugs or alcohol in my system. The only drugs I got in me now are the ones I got in me here (at the hospital),” he said.

Pennsylvania State Police spokesperson Trooper Tom Pinkerton said Tuesday that “information was provided to troopers at the scene that Mr. Painter may have been intoxicated.”

He declined to discuss the nature of Painter’s alleged intoxication. He said that

in situations where a person is in need of medical treatment, it is “imperative” that responders know whether the person is intoxicated or if they have consumed drugs, including prescription medications.

Painter said he remembers being bitten and getting into his friend’s car. He reportedly lost consciousness on the way to Chambersburg Hospital and woke up while police and ambulance crews were waiting for the helicopter to land.

He remembers parts of the flight to Harrisburg and arriving at the hospital.

“Everybody was so nice to me, they worked with me and stuff. I was in and out of it for the next eight to 10 hours. I was sick and vomiting, I had fevers and double vision. It was pretty bad,” Painter said.

It took about four hours to get the right antivenin, which was flown to Harrisburg from the Philadelphia Zoo. Painter said he’s had three rounds of antivenin and it appears he won’t need any more.

Fearing that he would lose his hand, doctors performed emergency surgery to make a “tear drop” shaped incision and drain fluid from the badly damaged tissue, Watson said.

While it now appears that Painter will not lose his left hand, he is awaiting reconstructive surgery to repair the damage. He has been working with an occupational therapist twice a day to regain movement in the affected hand and arm.

There is no word yet on when Painter might be able to leave the hospital.

Since he was admitted, he has had plenty of people come to visit and wish him well. He thinks often about friends and family, and looks forward to his eventual release.

“I didn’t realize how many friends I had until this happened. I can’t wait to get out and thank them all,” Painter said.

He said his girlfriend, Brittany Thomas, has been a big supporter throughout the ordeal.

“I couldn’t ask for a better girlfriend than her,” he said.

As Painter was being flown to the hospital, troopers responded to the Cumberland County home where the snake bit him. While searching for the animal, they allegedly found a bag of illegal drugs.

A police news release stated that the drugs were identified as Painter’s. He says the drugs, psychedelic mushrooms, were not his.

“It wasn’t my house. I have no idea where those drugs came from,” he said.

Painter has not been charged in connection with the alleged drugs. Pinkerton said the investigation is ongoing, and police are still waiting on the laboratory’s analysis of the substance in question.

“Once we get the results of the submitted evidence back, a determination will be made in consultation with the district attorney’s office, whether or not to file charges,” he said.

A professional tattoo artist for the past 23 years, Painter said he is right-handed.

“I’m just glad it wasn’t my tattoo hand that got bit, or I’d pretty much be finished,” he said.

The snake, which he was keeping at a friend’s house, was Painter’s only pet. He was once “a snake collector” with about 16 large snakes, including boa constrictors, pythons and a yellow anaconda.

Now a father of six, Painter said he gave away the large snake collection several years ago, when he started having children.

“They were big enough to eat my kids,” he said.

Painter’s mother, Jacqueline Watson, said a number of people have asked her in the last few days why her son had a venomous snake as a pet, anyway. While she is not an animal lover herself, she defends her son’s exotic taste in animals.

“Why does anybody have a cat or a dog? Everybody’s different. If everybody was the same, this would be a dull world,” she said.

Snake bites customer at home improvement store

OCALA, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) – He was only looking to landscape his lawn when an Ocala Lowes customer got the fright of his life after being bit by a pygmy rattlesnake. The incident happened just before 4 p.m. at the Lowes store located at 4500 East Silver Springs Blvd.

A male shopper reached for a patio stone in the garden center when the snake jumped out and bit his hand, he pulled it off only to be bit a second time.

Rescue crews say they are not sure if the man was alone at the time but say someone managed to kill the snake. It was identified as a pygmy rattlesnake the most common venomous snake in Florida which is responsible for more human snakebites than any other snake.

A spokesperson from Lowes says they are investigating the incident. Rescue crews are not releasing the man’s name but say he did not received anti-venom for the bite because his symptoms did not appear to be severe.

He was treated at Ocala Regional Medical Center.

Snake bite leaves toddler disabled

KANGAR – An 18-month-old toddler who cheated death after being badly bitten by a venomous snake on the head three months ago has been declared permanently disabled.

Mohd Asri Mohd Indrasaudi is now suffering from permanent disability due to a dysfunctional nervous system due to the snake poison.

The boy is now bedridden and unable to swallow food.

His 27-year-old mother, Noor Amali Ahmad, said Asri could only drink milk through a tube.

She is seeking a second opinion from medical experts to cure her son after doctors at Tuanku Fauziah Hospital gave up hope on her child.

Noor Amali said Asri was playing in a room at her mother’s house on May 26 when the incident occurred.

“All of a sudden, I heard him crying and the crying became louder and louder as seconds passed.

“I rushed to him and checked to see what actually happened. To my horror, I saw blood marks on the head and my son was crying even louder. I sought help from the neighbours who then took us to the hospital,” she said at her mother’s house in Kampung Bukit Merah, Beseri, yesterday.

Asri was in coma for about 45 days before regaining consciousness and was discharged two weeks ago.

“I hope my child can live a normal life as he is only 18 months old,” she said.

Snake bite victim: ‘My hand’s going to be fine’

A Chambersburg man who was bitten by his pet viper is in stable condition at Harrisburg General Hospital, but has a period of recovery ahead.

Barry Lee Painter Sr., 38, was flown to the hospital Wednesday night after his Western Gaboon Viper bit his left hand.

“I picked him up and he bit me,” Painter said in a phone interview Friday.

Painter said the wound was “blistered and purple.”

“Everything’s fine now,” he added. “My hand’s going to be fine.”

Painter said he will be in the hospital for awhile and declined to answer any further questions regarding the incident.

Police report

Pennsylvania State Police said Painter was intoxicated while handling the exotic reptile at his friend’s Walnut Dale Road home in Southampton Township. His friend, Michael E. Keefer, no age given, was driving Painter to the hospital when Painter passed out in the vehicle along Interstate 81. Police responded to the scene and Painter was flown to the hospital.

Troopers reportedly found some drugs in the house when they went back with a snake catcher to get the viper. Police said they determined the drugs were Painter’s, upon investigation.

Trooper Tom Pinkerton, public communications officer with PSP, said Painter has not been charged with any drug possession charges at this time. The investigation is ongoing.

Gaboon vipers are native to Africa and are usually placid, according to Devenomized.com.

They have the longest fangs of any venomous snake in the world and can strike with “incredible speed from any direction — including backwards and upwards,” according to the website.

Environmentally harmful turtles seen in Vietnam

In Hanoi, ornamental animal shops sell them. At dozens of shops on Hoang Hoa Tham Street, one can buy a red-eared turtle at VND40,000.

At shop 626 Hoang Hoa Tham street, the shop assistant said she has sold the turtles for ten years.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hanh at 713 Hoang Hoa Tham street shop, where sells big turtles of about 1.5 kg each at VND250.000, said some people bought a turtle to keep as a pet, others brought them to release in pagodas or in rivers, as Buddhism tells.

For years, Hanoians have purchased the small colorful reptiles to release them into Ho Guom (Sword Lake) for luck seeking on the lunar new year or on the fifteenth day of lunar months. Visitors can see the animal resurface in the lake.

Professor Ha Dinh Duc, a turtle scientist, says first red-eared turtles were found in the lake in 1997 despite its origin in North America. He says he does not know by what way the strange reptiles came to Hanoi.

Prof. Duc says the Vietnamese government has to get the Can Tho company that imported the turtles in June to re-export them to the original country as well as quickly implement measures to curb the sale of the turtle in market and releasing it into rivers.

A fisheries company in Can Tho City, Mekong Delta, imported in June 40 tons of the red-eared turtles (about 24,000 animals) from the US for farming.

After the importation, the company raised them at a farm in neighboring Vinh Long Province. A number of the turtles have died.

Relevant authorities have set this August 31 as the deadline for the company to kill all or re-export the reptiles alive.

The red-eared turtles are also seen elswhere in the country.

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