Filenews 29 March 2021 - by Despina Psyllaou
Fascinatingly and deadly dangerously, snakes in the pet's place divide the connoisseurs. Even if one survives their attack, one may face serious health problems for the rest of their lives, the officer of the Department of Forests in the biodiversity sector and member of the board of directors of the Herpetological Association of Cyprus, Charis Nikolaou, tells "F". The bite from a pet cobra to a 30-year-old Cypriot at his home in Athens resulted in him being hospitalized in critical condition since last Thursday.
It stresses, in fact, that there is legislation prohibiting poisonous species as a pet, noting that controls should be stepped up. On the other side, the owner of the Herpetological Centre of Cyprus and snake whisperer, Giannis Angelis stresses that snakes are dangerous only if the person does not have an antidote and if the competent services are not informed. Besides, he says, there are many more deaths from dog attacks.
"The danger to the 30-year-old has not passed," stresses Mr. Nikolaou, adding that "even if someone lives after a snake bite, because they are such toxic poisons, there is a risk of a health problem." It states, at the same time, that in this case it is the cobra Naya Kauthia, which is not found in the eastern Mediterranean.
"I don't think any kind of snake should be a pet. Especially if it's a poisonous snake. Pet means pet, such as a cat or dog, with which you can deal and develop a relationship with them. The snake is still most of the time. It will only move when it is to eat and then again it will be immobilized to digest. You can only take pride in having it."
Snakes, he said, are unpredictable. "You might look at it still and think it's okay. Get close to it and in a split second it'll raise and bite you. They're cold-blooded, they don't get used to humans. He can't be friendly because he got used to you or taught you. It doesn't detect your smell. He's not developing anything to do with you. He's just getting used to the sound and the movement that he's going to feed. That's why you can't call it a pet."
A limit should be set, he points out. "There should be legislation that does not allow snakes as pets. After all, it is also a question of the welfare of the animal, which is in a tank at a time when its biology is ordering it to circulate freely for several hundred meters. It shouldn't be done.' However, he said, there are people in possession of Cypriot snakes without permission, which is forbidden or even foreign snakes which are poisonous, such as cobras and rattlesnakes. "Under the new legislation, the possession of poisonous snakes from Cyprus and elsewhere is now prohibited by law."
If some people have a snake, he noted, it is up to the relevant agencies to locate them because there is a risk of release. "There could be an accident with the tank, an earthquake, anything. It's very serious. He doesn't pick up jokes when it comes to animals like that. Legislation must be fully respected and better scrutiny carried out." Besides, he said, to talk about an antidote, it means we're also talking about possession of poisonous snakes, which is forbidden. It clarifies, at the same time, that the antidote is a specialized, very expensive and sensitive preparation. "You need to know where you're aiming. The antidote for a cobra is different from the antidote for the viper or rattlesnake."
Three poisonous snakes in Cyprus
Depending on the geology found the snake is also the composition of its poison, notes Mr. Nikolaou. "For example in Cyprus we have three poisonous snakes, however, only the viper (fine) poison is dangerous to humans and can even cause death. The other two species, the shuttle and the Xylodropi (agiofido), will cause only irritation and swelling (as long as there is no allergy)'. However, he said the poison affects each person differently depending on several factors, such as where someone was bitten, their age, whether a vein was hit, how many times they were bitten, the person's condition (health and physical). The time one has at their disposal depends on dozens of variables.
"There are several categories of poisons. It is a combination of toxic enzymes, which cause various problems in the body that penetrate. The reason snakes have these enzymes is to be able to swallow their prey more easily. They immobilize the prey, causing damage to its organs and tissues. Because they do not have the ability to cut a piece of their prey, snakes swallow their entire prey and therefore this must be elastic, not resist and not have its normal mass.".
Different snakes, he explains, also have different enzymes. "There are species where their poison is harmless to humans. In other words, it is not toxic enough to cause death, but it can kill a small mouse or a small lizard. Snakes which have very toxic venom need to be fed to animals much larger than their size. Like a rabbit, a big rat, a bird or another snake."
"Dangerous snake for which you have no antidote"
From a mutual friend, the owner of the Herpetological Centre of Cyprus and snake whisperer, Giannis Angelis, was informed of the incident that occurred to the 30-year-old and the immediate need to find an antidote, as it was not available on Greek territory. He had at his disposal help and the necessary consultations were made with the hospital. "The private flight came and I went to the airport where I delivered it," he said, adding that he was aware of the deadly danger to which the 30-year-old had been exposed.
"This particular type of cobra I know as I lived in Thailand for a few years, working on farms that put on shows with such snakes. I've seen enough bites from this snake. In fact, there had been a similar incident in Cyprus in 2005, where I had again medicated. I am well aware of the severity of the bite of this cobra", he stressed and clarified that there are different species of snakes and different kinds of poisons. For example, he said, the Cypriot viper has hemotoxic poison, while the cobra Naya Kauthia is neurotoxic.
"This particular snake is one of the most predictable cobra species. Of the 100 times he bites, only 20 will attack. The rest is a defensive bite. He won't open his mouth to get poison. It's very predictable. However, they are in the eating phase and it is always aggressive if they bite when being fed. They bite to kill, so it's also deadly. Compared to other cobra species it is one of the most harmless in its behaviour". In nature, he said, to be bitten by a snake means 99% that human error has been made.
"A dangerous snake is one for which you do not possess an antidote, whatever species it is. In that case, you're in danger of dying." You can dispose of a snake safely, he noted, as long as clarity prevails and if the relevant services determine that you qualify. "Many more deaths have been recorded by dogs or other animals." As he explains, they affect very much factors the severity of a snake bite. "It has to do with the type of snake, the amount of poison, the state of the person's body, its sensitivity to substance, weight, height. The same animal can bite two different people and they may have different reactions."
It is very important to correctly specify the species of snake, he stressed and added: "The anti-ophic serum is just as dangerous as the poison. It's made from poison. If the wrong antidote is administered, then the man is in danger of dying. It's like he's having a transfusion with the wrong blood type." Those who have such animals are urged to obtain an antidote and also to report them to the competent authorities. "If only to be recorded, both for their own good and for the rest of us. If, for example, we have a snake to know what antidote we need to look for. It's a matter of life and death."
