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VA-Spotsy girl recovering from foot-long copperhea
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by tigers9 on May 21, 2008
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Well, time to ban wild snake sin VA as well (insert my usual sarcasm especially after that Arlington fiasco)
Hope the girl has a speedy recovery.
Z
http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2008/052008/05212008/381051
Spotsy girl recovering from foot-long copperhead's bite
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VA. dept. of game and inland fisheries
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VA. dept. of game and inland fisheries
A northern copperhead bit Katie Davis, 9, of Spotsylvania, on the left hand when she was playing in her family's yard last week. She is expected to make a full recovery, after being treated at Mary Washington Hospital.
VA. dept. of game and inland fisheries
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VA. dept. of game and inland fisheries
Nine-year-old gets bitten by poisonous snake, but will recover
By DAN TELVOCK
Date published: 5/21/2008
By DAN TELVOCK
Nine-year-old Katie Davis might miss her SOL test today, but it's not because she doesn't want to take it.
It's because a venomous copperhead snake bit her.
The Chancellor Elementary School student was playing with her twin brother, Kyle, at their home in Pipe Run in Spotsylvania County Sunday when she felt a sharp pain in her left hand.
Next to her was a small pile of leaves and mulch, where her father, Mark Davis, eventually found the foot-long snake.
"It felt like my hand was on fire," Katie said from her bed at Mary Washington Hospital hospital, surrounded by "Get Well" balloons, flowers and stuffed animals.
Katie said she jumped after the bite and ran inside. She had no idea what had happened.
"We had thought it was a bee sting," Mark Davis said. "She's screaming that it's burning and stinging real bad. We saw it get worse in minutes and it started to turn blue or black."
Snake bites are rare. About 7,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the United States each year, according to the University of Virginia.
Katie's mother, Jeani Davis, drove her daughter to the local firehouse. They suggested she go to the urgent care center. When they arrived, she said the doctor told her that Katie needed to be at the emergency room.
"He called an ambulance," she said.
Katie will be fine, her parents said. The middle finger on her left hand is bruised and swollen from the bite, but doctors said she will regain full mobility.
She was in good spirits, and was getting a lot of attention. Even her school principal, Shawn Hudson, called to check on her.
"He wanted to know how I was feeling. He was worried also," Katie said.
Dan Telvock: 540/374-5438
Email: dtelvock@freelancestar.com
The emergency room at Mary Washington Hospital sees about 20 snakebite victims each year.
About two-thirds of those victims have been bitten by venomous snakes, almost always copperheads, said Dr. Charles G. Penick, an emergency-room physician.
Penick advised that if you are bitten by a snake you know to be venomous, the important thing to remember is not to panic.
"There's no super rush," he said.
A venomous bite requires medical attention but is usually not life threatening.
Penick said he's been told by poison control experts that in the past 10 years they could not recall a single fatal snake-bite in Virginia.
At the hospital, the staff will offer pain medication and give the victim an injection of antivenom if the bite appears serious.
A bite by a nonvenomous snake should be cleaned but does not require a trip to the hospital.
If you're not sure about the snake, wait about 15 minutes to see if the wound site becomes unusually painful. If it does, the snake probably was venomous, and you should seek help, Penick said.
If it does not become painful, the snake was probably not venomous, and the injury can be treated at home.
As with any puncture wound, a snake bite also may require a tetanus shot, said Dr. Thomas G. Franck, local health director.
--Jim Hall
Jeff Cooper, a non-game biologist with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, said the northern copperhead is the only venomous snake in the Fredericksburg area.
"It is a pretty common snake," he said. "It likes forests and old farms, and they even live in neighborhoods."
The cottonmouth and timber rattlesnake also are prevalent in Virginia. Cooper said both of these snakes have diamond-shape heads and vertical pupils like a cat's eye.
The northern copperhead is reddish-brown, so it hides well in forest leaf litter. It has an hourglass pattern on its back.
The rattlesnake's rattler is one easy indicator, Cooper said, but sometimes they lose them. The timber rattlesnake is typically yellowish with some dark on the back. Usually, this snake is found in mountainous areas and in southeast Virginia.
A cottonmouth usually is dark. If its mouth is open, the inside is a cottony color. It is a thick snake. Usually, this snake is found in southeast Virginia.
The local department, at 1320 Belman Road, Fredericksburg, has snake guides for $2.
--Dan Telvock
Date published: 5/21/2008
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Alum Park, really??? (posted by Al , May 21, 2008 4:05 pm) Report this post to admins
I take my kids and dogs there all the time. I've never once seen a single snake at the creek. Has anyone else seen cottonmouths there? That really scares me.
Worst yet (posted by MasterT , May 21, 2008 1:02 pm) Report this post to admins
What scares me worst is that the people at the fire department told them to go to urgent care when the people ask for help. Even if it was a bee sting she could have had a allergic reaction. Why didn't they transport the kid.
aural (posted by Tamerlane , May 21, 2008 1:02 pm) Report this post to admins
I cede you the well taken point. But: "The cottonmouth and timber rattlesnake also are prevalent in Virginia," might lead some to conclude that the Rapidan and Rappahannock are full of cottonmouths. I have heard folks say "so and so was bitten by a cottonmouth in the Potomac, etc, and this ought to be dispelled. Too many say "I kill every snake I see" GlenK has good info on this. I saw a stat once that said 70% of rattler bites involved alcohol, so there are a lot of drunk snakes out there!
The expert is full of it! (posted by Mooseman , May 21, 2008 12:24 pm) Report this post to admins
I killed 2 rattlesnakes in my yard in the Landsdowne Road area and plenty of cottonmouths. They need to check their facts and no, I'm no redneck! And you don't think there are cttonmouths around? Go walk along the creek bed at Alum Spring park!
Tamerlane? (posted by aural , May 21, 2008 11:46 am) Report this post to admins
You refer to "dumb articles like this" and articles that fail to quote real biologists and thus "empower dumb-ass rednecks" to kill snakes. But in fact the article says exactly what you want it to say. It quotes a "bona fide biologist" saying the copperhead is the only venomous snake in this area. It says the cottonmouth is found in southeastern Virginia--which is not Fredericksburg. Have you somehow misread the story? By the way, I agree with you that people shouldn't go out and stomp snakes.
What do you think?
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RE: VA-Spotsy girl recovering from foot-long coppe
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by jared on May 21, 2008
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Why is this such a media hype recently. I don't get it, snakebite statistics in the US have been pretty much the same for years, and now tons of media hype? For years NC ranked as one of the highest states in the nation for snakebite, it has happened to various non herp people for years, and they go on (most US bites tend to be from copperheads n cottons, and rarely a fatality) with this just being another file in the hospital and no media show. I cant stand the fear mongering, and the continued ignorance of a public that has the most information at there fingertips. Through VA, at this time of year, copperheads are common, and thus copperhead bites do occur (my younger cousin found one yesterday looking for the WILD TERCIPELO OF GLOUCESTER CO) , they are far from uncommon esp in central and western parts of the state. It seems like venomous snakes have become the new PIT BULLS of the animal thats gonna kill your kid next media frenzy. Don't we have more pressing issues these clowns should be voting on during such explosive times? When does it stop, when they tell you how many children u can have? When does the line cross, i think we may be approaching the boarder.
Truely lacking faith in the intelligence, fortitude, and hearts of many of my countrymen at this time,
Jared
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RE: VA-Spotsy girl recovering from foot-long coppe
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by tigers9 on May 21, 2008
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Jared, screaming here will not fix anything, you are talking to the choir, we agree with you.
To have any chance of making any difference, you need to speak in public, hearing, write letter to the editors, etc to reach people who are in grey area, aka, NON AR but NON exotic enthusiasts, average Joes, naive/ignortant/scared but not necessary evil, we need to educate this gray area people before they get brainwashed with fear mongering
Z
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RE: VA-Spotsy girl recovering from foot-long coppe
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by jared on May 21, 2008
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Z I HAVE lol, I have been speaking and doing reptile presentations since high school, i do lectures for everyone from the boyscouts of america to taking field classes from universitys on herp surveys. It has not worked, petitioning for decades has not worked having a permit system has shown flaws as well etc. It just seems we are the next "hot" topic. Brace for the storm,
Jared
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RE: VA-Spotsy girl recovering from foot-long coppe
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by jared on May 21, 2008
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Lemme correct myself, I am simply saying that everyone here can speak to THOUSANDS of non herp people in efforts to educate and preserve these animals for future generations (both in captivity and the wild) and despite efforts from countless members of this site the media still "hypes" and portrays venomous reptiles in particular in a negative light and often with horribly inaccurate information (look at recent quotes in news articles). I am beginning to understand the frustrations of the shark researchers a couple summers back when dealing with media hype.
Jared
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RE: VA-Spotsy girl recovering from foot-long coppe
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by tigers9 on May 21, 2008
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I do understand, we big cat people go thru the same stuff, different approaches are toward are captive CAGED animals/cats as opposed to live wild ones.
People live in cougar and bear territory with UNCAGED carnivores/omnivores, and even AR scream against population control claiming we don't have that many attacks, but still, like with snakes, there are more wild cats than captive cats attacks.
However, when it comes to captive CAGED cats, AR use every BandAid scratch to prove how dangerous the cats are to ban them, so people get scared living next to somebody with caged sweet snake/cat, never mind they live in the territory of wild ones, no idea how to deal with some idiocy myself.
Most people do not care about conservation; most just want to be entertained.
Z
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RE: VA-Spotsy girl recovering from foot-long coppe
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by 23bms on May 21, 2008
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"Most people do not care about conservation; most just want to be entertained."
50% of the population is below median intelligence. And, they vote. And, they hire lawyers. And, thereby, they determine the rules that apply to YOUR life.
The internet age has given the ignorant and the mentally deficient (combined, a significant, in fact overwhelming, majority of the population) a power they have never had in all of human history. It has also given those with the intelligence to manipulate that ignorant human cesspool a power unsurpassed in human history.
Frightening.
I am glad that I am old enough that I will not likely see the dénouement.
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RE: VA-Spotsy girl recovering from foot-long coppe
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by Buzztail1 on May 21, 2008
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Perhaps we are missing the point here.
These articles are actually well written and factual with good information.
They quoted good reliable sources.
The fact is that this is a legitimate, nobody's fault venomous bite.
The snake's natural camouflage worked and it wasn't seen.
The little girl got bit.
She was taken to the hospital and will recover.
No herper's rights were violated.
No AR group planted an exotic snake.
No-one is calling for legislation to remove the snakes from their natural habitat.
And yet, people here are up in arms.
Get a grip.
I have been educating "the public" about snakes and, in particular, venomous snakes for over 30 years. That education will not protect anyone from a snake that they do not see.
This is just an above average quality coverage of a local bite that we only know about and have access to because of the internet. Stories like this, albeit usually much more incorrect and biased, are printed every day in any area where venomous snakes live.
I honestly do not see what the big deal is.
R/
Karl
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RE: VA-Spotsy girl recovering from foot-long coppe
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by tigers9 on May 21, 2008
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Karl, we were not criticizing the news, we were just sarcastically commenting on the fact that while people happily live in wild venomous snake territory and are willing to accept the risks, they refuse to have caged snakes anywhere near them. So we r just waiting for the public to ban venomous snakes in the wild, or meteorites falling from the sky.;-)
Z
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RE: VA-Spotsy girl recovering from foot-long coppe
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by Cro on May 22, 2008
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The original article about the little girl was well researched and written.
We then get an advertisement from Fox News titled "Three Venomous Snake Bites in Virginia" and it features a big photo of a Garter Snake right next to that title. I wonder how many of the readers who see that photo will now think that Garter Snakes are venomous ?
http://www.charlottesvillenewsplex.tv/news/headlines/19156464.html#
Best Regards JohnZ
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