Danger From The Flood Emerges As Deadly Green Mambas Escape

[webfact]

Deadly green mambas escape

THE NATION

Another terror from the floods emerged yesterday - the public was warned that 15 green mamba snakes had escaped from a flooded building in Nonthaburi's Pak Kret district on Tuesday night.

Officials say the highly venomous snakes include two adults - 2 metres long - and 13 one-metre-long young ones.

Anyone spotting the snakes must alert the Zoo and Wildlife Veterinary Society of Thailand via hotline 1362 or the Jor Sor 100 radio station at (02) 711 9160.

Chisanu Tiyacharoensri, vice president of the Wild Animal Rescue Foundation of Thailand, said green mambas were yellowish-green and larger than green snakes. He urged people to stay away from the snakes and be careful not to be bitten because there was no serum available in Thailand at present to counteract their venom.

Chisanu said the victim of a mamba bite would feel drowsy and could die in 20 minutes. If he or she survived, the victim would be on respiratory aid while waiting for antivenin to come from South America in two or three days.

For first aid in case of snakebite to a limb, Chisanu said the wound should be cleaned gently with soap and water, and a piece of cloth should be wrapped tightly at least 7 centimetres above the bite. A second piece should be wrapped 7cm above the first. The victim should lie down before being quickly transported to hospital.

He warned not to squeeze or cut the wound.

-- The Nation 2011-11-03

[wellred]

What are the chances of actually catching all of these? I hope no one has a bad encounter with these things. And shouldn't they fly the serum in from south America now as there is a good chance it will be needed soon.

[londonthai]

" waiting for antivenin to come from South America in two or three days."

catching them are a small chance, but the local snakes might have a meal from them

Edited November 2, 2011 by londonthai

[slapout]

What individual/organization would be in possession of these deadly snakes here in Thailand? If it was a research project, did other varieties of snake escape? They mention they escaped from a flooded building, did they swim out? Much more info could be given to people as to likely habitat for the snakes to go to, normal range, etc.

[Dizzle]

This is no laughing matter. The biggest danger here comes from self-proclaimed snake specialists that mistakenly identify one of these for the common, less venomous green tree snakes. The green mamba CAN KILL YOU and is particularly dangerous to smaller people -- the lethal dosage can be as little as 0.25 mg toxin per kg of the victim's body weight and a full-grown mamba can deliver up to 90 mg of toxin in a single bite. Translation: if you are a 60 kg human, as little as 15 mg of the toxin can kill you. Of course this is a lower limit, so no need to overly panic -- some people can survive up to 30 mg toxin per kg of body weight.

As for "local snakes having a meal of them" -- that's actually quite possible. Hopefully the cobras roaming around are hungry and not too stressed out to eat.

[sirchai]

What are the chances of actually catching all of these? I hope no one has a bad encounter with these things. And shouldn't they fly the serum in from south America now as there is a good chance it will be needed soon.

Okay, let's face it. There's the flood, snakes, crocodiles, diseases and so many people who should know what to do, but things are getting worse, not better.

A scary thought to get bitten by a Mamba, or a crocodile. Don't they reproduce?

[rotary]

Yea that's the big worry......what if these things breed. We are in trouble then

[Soutpeel]

What are the chances of actually catching all of these? I hope no one has a bad encounter with these things. And shouldn't they fly the serum in from south America now as there is a good chance it will be needed soon.

I stand to be corrected but green mambas are native to East Africa so <deleted> would they be getting anti-venom from South America for....lost in the translation again....may be should read South Africa ?

[Carl64]

Oh dear!!!!! They are giving out the wrong information to treat a snake bite.

Firstly NEVER wash the bite area. Its the bite area that can show what type of snake bit you. Then you will know what type of anti venom should be used. The wrong anti venom can cause death. Secondly you have to put a constrictive bandage directly to the bite area and extending as far a possible up the limb. (If bite was not on a limb then its obviuos.... Your in big trouble.)

This is 1 site that has it right, http://www.snake-awa...way-services/1/

If these snakes are now loose and in the wild they should be getting the anti venom here in Thailand immediatly. These snakes are very nervous and highly aggressive. Not to mention extremely fast.

The other issue is that these snakes might thrive in the Thailand country side. This can have a massive ecological disaster for Thailand. Just look at what Burmese Pythons are doing to the Southern states of the USA.

[h90]

What are the chances of actually catching all of these? I hope no one has a bad encounter with these things. And shouldn't they fly the serum in from south America now as there is a good chance it will be needed soon.

Don't you think you expect a bit too much planning in advance?

Situation

Mambas

complete confuse troubled situation

a lot people in the area

flying in serum is very cheap in compare to emergency treatment and emergency flying in and may save lifes.

What would be Thai official/politician do?

Nothing because no one is bite yet.

[ChrisKU]

These snakes are native in South Africa, to which Thai Airways has a daily flight. Serum should be available there, so why would it take 3 days to get it from South America?!

[jbell]

What are the chances of actually catching all of these? I hope no one has a bad encounter with these things. And shouldn't they fly the serum in from south America now as there is a good chance it will be needed soon.

From Wikipedia:

Geographic range

This species is indigenous to the east coast of southern Africa and occurs throughout much of eastern Africa.^[3] It is found near the coast stretching from western South Africa through to Mozambique, Tanzania, Swaziland, and as far as south-east Kenya, going inland as far as southern Malawi and eastern Zimbabwe.^[/url]

Just for Info.

jbell

[h90]

What are the chances of actually catching all of these? I hope no one has a bad encounter with these things. And shouldn't they fly the serum in from south America now as there is a good chance it will be needed soon.

Okay, let's face it. There's the flood, snakes, crocodiles, diseases and so many people who should know what to do, but things are getting worse, not better.

A scary thought to get bitten by a Mamba, or a crocodile. Don't they reproduce?

You forgot the radioactivity and the electro shocks from the plugs....What is next?

Hostile Aliens in the water?

[cheshiremusicman]

These snakes are native in South Africa, to which Thai Airways has a daily flight. Serum should be available there, so why would it take 3 days to get it from South America?!

Simple answer - bacause that is far too logical. Inverse logic exists in Thailand; if any does exist, which I doubt!

[noitom]

When you look this Green Mamba up, you see an Eastern and a Western habitat, both in Africa. The Thaivisa post pointing out that they are from Africa and not South America highlights a shortcoming in this whole Thai press coverage of this event. The same poster or another inquired a key question - who and what wee they doing in a a Nonthaburi building, and if it was authorized, why wasn't the vaccine already on hand? The advice the press provided for people was preposterous - ie. "be careful not to get bitten." as they can cause death in 20 minutes. But if you survive, you would need to be on life support for up to three days while waiting for the vaccine. Isn't this a ludicrous newspaper write up or am I getting tired of reading about this Thai circus? Could this just be a diversionary thing to defocus people from the scale of the disease issue? "A diversionary tactic" would almost be giving them too much credit for caginess. I must be getting old. I'm taking this disaster too seriously, and when I started doing that, the whole Thai picture became a nightmare. I'll have to get some sleep.

[rogerdee123]

What are the chances of actually catching all of these? I hope no one has a bad encounter with these things. And shouldn't they fly the serum in from south America now as there is a good chance it will be needed soon.

I stand to be corrected but green mambas are native to East Africa so <deleted> would they be getting anti-venom from South America for....lost in the translation again....may be should read South Africa ?

Well you know most of these officials got their honorary degrees from Ramkhamhaeng. That was probably the "Minister of Geography" who said the snakes are from S. America.

[Dukeleto]

I think possibly they meant that the anti-venom has to come from South Africa as this is where the snakes originate from. They are not foound in South America. They are far less aggressive than the famed black Mamba and are typically shy. What is more concerning is the fact that Thailand ia absolutely perfect habitat and temperature wise for these snakes and there is a real danger they will now multiply making a previously alien species endemic to Thailand. I also believe any poly valent anti serum produced for Cobra's, which is also a neurotoxic venom can be used while waiting for the mono valent mamba specific anti venom to arrive...from South Africa.

[pisico]

What are the chances of actually catching all of these? I hope no one has a bad encounter with these things. And shouldn't they fly the serum in from south America now as there is a good chance it will be needed soon.

I stand to be corrected but green mambas are native to East Africa so <deleted> would they be getting anti-venom from South America for....lost in the translation again....may be should read South Africa ?

Brazil has a unique institution in the state of São Paulo: the Butantã, as it is known internationally in the medical field.

Butantã not only researches and develops new approaches to treat most snake bites in the world, but it also has thousands upon thousands of different types of serum/antidotes stored and provided free of charge to any hospital worldwide.

Unfortunately, most tropical countries such a Thailand, for generations, have preferred to live with the risk of death by venom toxin than to invest in a facility to store antidotes for species known to live in the country.

If Thailand has never, never seriously in decades of terrible floods (I was here in 1995) have summoned the wisdom and know-how of Holland to rid the country of the devastating effects of the floods, what can we expect of the Thai governments in the 21th. century?

[x5david]

What are the chances of actually catching all of these? I hope no one has a bad encounter with these things. And shouldn't they fly the serum in from south America now as there is a good chance it will be needed soon.

Flying it in now would require a brain capable of planning and forethought, sadly both of those are none existent in Thai brains....

[SICHONSTEVE]

What are the chances of actually catching all of these? I hope no one has a bad encounter with these things. And shouldn't they fly the serum in from south America now as there is a good chance it will be needed soon.

What were this number of deadly snakes doing in the flat in the first place, how did they escape, and it is pretty obvious that they should fly some venom in pronto and not wait until someone/some people get bitten and have to tell them - "don't worry, I'll give them a ring after my afternoon cuppa", "now where did I leave their number"??? "I wrote it down on a piece of paper somewhere but can't remember what piece" silly me, always doing this - "as I said, don't worry, can you hold on for 2-3 days now"????, I'l give you some Tylenol, that should do the trick for the mo!!!.

Ohhhh Thailand!!!! - what is happening to you??????? WAKE UP!!! will you?????

[Sateev]

Curiously, in the original thread about this, there was a short-link to the original story, on some dubious little website. Interesting that George has edited that post to delete the original link, and that The Nation has picked it up as gospel.

When I first read it, 'hoax' jumped into my mind...and all the unanswered questions about who/why the snake were there in the first place had done nothing to make it more credible.

Snakes in the grass, I think.

[Dibbler]

The Green Mamba is one of Africa's most dangerous snakes. It's likely these animals were kept as pets as there is a thriving and mostly illegal market in dangerous reptiles in Thailand. Many species of dangerous snakes, poison frogs and lizards are smuggled into the country in contravention of international wildlife trade laws, and sold via dealers who work through shops at the Chatuchak Weekend Market.

The reporter who investigated this story probably has the details of the residence from which the animals were reported missing. It's possible other species of snakes or reptiles also escaped. This information could be very useful to people investigating wildlife crime in Thailand. Also if someone is injured or killed by one of these escapees, then it would be possible to find out who is responsible. Thailand needs to have people who smuggle wildlife and create danger to Thai citizens off the streets and where the deservedly belong, behind bars.

There are some facts about this snake here http://goafrica.about.com/od/africasafariguide/tp/Africansnakes.htm It has a highly toxic venom which is a neurotoxin, which means it hits the nervous system, and victims will likely die of heart failure. It's the same kind of venom found in cobras which we have in Thailand and other parts of Asia.

If encountered out there in Pak Kret, individuals might contact the Thai Red Cross Society, Snake Farm for advice. Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute (QSMI) and Snake Farm - 1871 Rama IV Street, Pathumwan, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand, Tel: +66 02 252 01614

Another organization that might help to find and catch the animals is

▼[/url]Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT)Address:‎ Not true? Show all edits Not true?Placement on map is approximate108 Moo 6Tha Mai Ruak, Phetchaburi 76130, Thailand

Get directions‎032-458135

[pcgeekz05]

Isn't that great? Thailand is becoming more and more interesting everyday! What's next? A Dinosaur??

" waiting for antivenin to come from South America in two or three days."

catching them are a small chance, but the local snakes might have a meal from them

[geriatrickid]

This story should not be printed unless there is corroborating documentation, i.e. the name of the facility where the snakes were kept and if the existence of the snakes at that location was verified.

More importantly, emphasis should be placed upon the fact that the snakes are susceptible to waterborn chemicals and illness and that unless caught in a current and drifting are unlikely to be found outside a 5km radius of Pak Kret location.Needles panic inducing story.

Get the facts first and then post the story. And more importantly, if the snakes were in Thailand, why?

Edited November 3, 2011 by geriatrickid

[Tattoo180sx]

I think possibly they meant that the anti-venom has to come from South Africa as this is where the snakes originate from. They are not foound in South America. They are far less aggressive than the famed black Mamba and are typically shy. What is more concerning is the fact that Thailand ia absolutely perfect habitat and temperature wise for these snakes and there is a real danger they will now multiply making a previously alien species endemic to Thailand. I also believe any poly valent anti serum produced for Cobra's, which is also a neurotoxic venom can be used while waiting for the mono valent mamba specific anti venom to arrive...from South Africa.

You watch too much kill bill

[Jayman]

Why wait till someone has been bit to bring the anti-venom in from SA? Now that they know they are on the loose why not just bring some in now so they are prepared in case the public gets bit? I know I will get the response that TIT but seriously guys. An ounce of preparation is worth a pound of cure.....

[zydeco]

What are the chances of actually catching all of these? I hope no one has a bad encounter with these things. And shouldn't they fly the serum in from south America now as there is a good chance it will be needed soon.

You mean do something radical like actually prepare? These are the same people who did virtually nothing to prepare for these floods until the water was coming over the walls of Bangkok.

[ChristianFrederiksen]

How come this hasn't been told to everyone earlier! It's already two days old! The snakes might already have entered a more populated area! They don't even tell very much about the snakes. Only that It's 1-2 meters long, green, and very poisonous!<br>

[SICHONSTEVE]

How come this hasn't been told to everyone earlier! It's already two days old! The snakes might already have entered a more populated area! They don't even tell very much about the snakes. Only that It's 1-2 meters long, green, and very poisonous!<br>

I think that is a pretty large indication "not to mess with them" and provides enough information to that effect!!.

[tonglen]

"He urged people to stay away from the snakes and be careful not to be bitten because there was no serum available in Thailand at present to counteract their venom."

So, theres 15 deadly snakes with no anti-venom/venin available in Thailand? Lovely.

If you have mambas or any other snake for that matter, there should be a law requiring serum for that PARTICULAR snake. In zoo's there is always enough serum for every poisonous animal in captivity. Common sense.