# Keeper Bitten By Adder (Vic)



## MrBredli (Jun 13, 2008)

*Published:* 12/06/08
*Source: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23856399-29277,00.html*

A MAN is recovering in a Melbourne hospital tonight after he was bitten by a pet death adder.

The snake breeder, 29, suffered the potentially lethal bite on his hand at his home in Benwerrin Drive at East Burwood about 8pm (AEST), Metropolitan Ambulance Service spokesman James Howe said.

"He began feeling disoriented and was short of breath," Mr Howe said. 

"Paramedics found him in an altered consciousness state and he collapsed shortly after they arrived. 

"The intensive care paramedics administered drugs and fluids to stabilise him and he was taken to the Monash Medical Centre. 

"He was in a critical condition, but staff at the hospital administered some anti-venom and he began stabilising quickly."


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## missllama (Jun 13, 2008)

geez beautiful things death adders but its sad seeing stuff like that happen
i hope he is alright


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## BlindSnake (Jun 13, 2008)

Nasty.
I know someone who copped a death adder bite, messed him up a bit. Not fun, I think was how he described it!


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## Jonno from ERD (Jun 13, 2008)

Oh no, I know who that is. Lucky he is alright.


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## daniel1234 (Jun 13, 2008)

I don't want to hijack this thread, so I will just say I am sorry to hear that, and sorry that snakes have got bad press. I guess no one wants to hear about people cuddling vens unless they bite them. Hell if you could do that then everyone would have snakes and Hollywood would go bust.

Snake must have been a bit hungry or grumpy or something. Hope guy gets through with no problems and hope hospital staff aren't to hard on him. Even I am appreciating vens as pets now.


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## Hsut77 (Jun 13, 2008)

On the radio here the ambo was quoted as saying the man breeds 'exotic snakes' and was bitten by one of them.......huh?????


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## daniel1234 (Jun 13, 2008)

Hsut77 said:


> On the radio here the ambo was quoted as saying the man breeds 'exotic snakes' and was bitten by one of them.......huh?????


 
Yep, media is as reliable as the weather persons they employ. It is all second hand hear say most of the time.


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## Snake Catcher Victoria (Jun 13, 2008)

Snakes are exotic pets as far as the general public think.
Our definition of an exotic snake is one from overseas but generally people refer to reptiles and inverts as exotic pets.
Hope he gets better soon and i bet he's spewing it's all over the news..


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## daniel1234 (Jun 13, 2008)

ssssnakeman said:


> Snakes are exotic pets as far as the general public think.
> Our definition of an exotic snake is one from overseas but generally people refer to reptiles and inverts as exotic pets.
> That's true.


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## snakehandler (Jun 13, 2008)

I have heard he is doing better today, but it was touch and go last night due to an alergic reaction. The interviewer was telling me that he was bitten multiple times and in an altered state when they found him. Apparently he was hallucinating!!


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## Hsut77 (Jun 13, 2008)

If they had of said he breed exotic pets, that's one thing but he said 'Exotic Snakes'.


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## junglepython2 (Jun 13, 2008)

He certainly doesn't breed exotic snakes, all the best mate.


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## ytamarin (Jun 13, 2008)

Oh he lives just near me.
All the best for a full recovery!!!


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## junglepython2 (Jun 13, 2008)

Sounds like there may be a touch of sensationalism thrown in with this one.


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## herptrader (Jun 13, 2008)

Do we know who it is? If it is who I suspect it is he is a member of this forum.

Stories like this do not bode well for keepers as they will inevitably lead to a tightening of what we are allowed to keep. There is a view amongst friends who I believe are in the know that it is just a matter of time before keepers in Victoria will no longer be allowed to keep venomous snakes. Every incident like this brings this day closer.


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## herptrader (Jun 13, 2008)

Another link to the same story: http://www.theage.com.au/national/pet-death-adder-bites-owner-20080613-2pt6.html


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## Snake Catcher Victoria (Jun 13, 2008)

:|....


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## horsenz (Jun 13, 2008)

well i just got off the phone talking to him and he was not in a critical condition in fact he will be home from the hosp this morning,it was a bite from one of his baby adders he had a bit of swelling around the lips which they gave him adrenaline for which fixed him,he was never hallucinating and did not collapse he did not need or get any anti venom. he also does not breed or keep exotics . i am sure he will be on here later today.


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## moosenoose (Jun 13, 2008)

Oh I have a nasty feeling I know who it is.....hmmm Trust the papers to beat it up!

ps: He'll have to change address now...everyone knows where he lives :lol: I'm glad he's okay! (Even if it isn't the person I suspect)


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## rmcneill (Jun 13, 2008)

owch..Maybe he will make a guest apperance on this thread....now that he is famous and all LOL
Hope you feeling better!!!


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## caustichumor (Jun 13, 2008)

That's the risk with keeping venomous animals, It only takes one miscalculation to end up in the papers, at least he didn't end up published near the classifieds.....


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## horsenz (Jun 13, 2008)

iam pretty sure he will be posting here sometime today


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## Jonno from ERD (Jun 13, 2008)

Yep, got a text from him this morning and he's not a happy chappy about the media attention and the lies that have been spun. For those who have only ever had to deal with the media from in front of their TV's - don't believe everything you hear!


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## moosenoose (Jun 13, 2008)

He was also paralysed!!!! :lol: OMG!!

http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2008/06/13/4568_local-news.html


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## -Peter (Jun 13, 2008)

if its who i think i'll buy the adder.


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## caustichumor (Jun 13, 2008)

Geez Jonno, It sounds like you are accusing the media of exagerating and making false claims! But that doesn't ever happen.....


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## Tsidasa (Jun 13, 2008)

sad times, he should have disconnected the electricity from his house =(


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## cris (Jun 13, 2008)

Good to hear they are OK, shame the media got hold of it.



herptrader said:


> Stories like this do not bode well for keepers as they will inevitably lead to a tightening of what we are allowed to keep. There is a view amongst friends who I believe are in the know that it is just a matter of time before keepers in Victoria will no longer be allowed to keep venomous snakes. Every incident like this brings this day closer.



Very true, there is absolutely nothing for a government to lose and some cheap political points for looking after community safety or some BS.

Is there anyway of preventing the media from getting hold of these stories? (short of not getting treatement)


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## moosenoose (Jun 13, 2008)

Your signature is a classic Jen! :lol: :lol:


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## Tsidasa (Jun 13, 2008)

Cheers Moose


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## moosenoose (Jun 13, 2008)

Also Pete, clear off!! I'm popping over NOW to secure that Adder into my collection. It'd have to be famous considering the person it's just nibbled!


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## snakehandler (Jun 13, 2008)

I am glad to hear he is fine, as far as keeping vens and the laws changing, I dont see it happening, however they may tighten them so that people in Victoria have to provide evidence they can keep them safely as in other states.


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## ryanharvey1993 (Jun 13, 2008)

so who took the bite? is it someone starting with R and last name starting with H


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## caustichumor (Jun 13, 2008)

At least he didn't get the bite a few hours later, Friday the 13th would of had a more ominous feel to it.


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## Duke (Jun 13, 2008)

ryanharvey1993 said:


> so who took the bite? is it someone starting with R and last name starting with H



Well according to the first page I got from Google, his initials are JD. I know he's a well respected member of the community, and of this forum. I wish him all the best for his recovery.


But hey, if you play with fire, you're bound to get burned once in a while.

This shouldn't deter people from Adders, but it should be used to help educate people about the dangers of elapids.


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## thesilverbeast (Jun 13, 2008)

With the dangers of robbery, isn't it a little irresponsible that they post his street name? Could he do anything do get those details off the reports? 

Glad to hear he's alright!


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## oddball (Jun 13, 2008)

horsenz said:


> well i just got off the phone talking to him and he was not in a critical condition in fact he will be home from the hosp this morning,it was a bite from one of his baby adders he had a bit of swelling around the lips which they gave him adrenaline for which fixed him,he was never hallucinating and did not collapse he did not need or get any anti venom. he also does not breed or keep exotics . i am sure he will be on here later today.


 
Wow I heard on the radio he almost died from a "killer adder" who bit him over and over, and that he wasn't breathing when the ambos found him.
I had to tell everyone at work to calm down (they were telling me my little spotted python will kill me) because it's a radio station and the media is no better than a gossip on stories like this.
But... I still thoguht he was in a serious condition from what they were going on about... I never heard something taken so far out of proportion!

If you come on here dude, I hope you're ok (the media attention is probably more deadly than the bite), and so is your adder baby.


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## snakesrule (Jun 13, 2008)

ryanharvey1993 said:


> so who took the bite? is it someone starting with R and last name starting with H



sdaji (allegedly)


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## moosenoose (Jun 13, 2008)

I've got a feeling he's at home munching his way through a bowl of Doritos Duke, he's text me back this morning that he and the snake (very importantly) are fine :lol: And talking about cheesey things, I know he's quite cheesed off with the way the media has reported this! By accounts they've blown it out of all proportions! Never let the truth stand in the way of a good story


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## Earthling (Jun 13, 2008)

herptrader said:


> Stories like this do not bode well for keepers as they will inevitably lead to a tightening of what we are allowed to keep. There is a view amongst friends who I believe are in the know that it is just a matter of time before keepers in Victoria will no longer be allowed to keep venomous snakes. Every incident like this brings this day closer.


 
Goodo! Now hopefully they will use this highly intelligent logic to get rid of those other pesky killers, motor vehicles! Im also living in hope for the day where they ban the most troublesome of activities that are the prelude of nearly all accidents, getting out of bed in the morning...all sorts of dangers lurking...........


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## Mangles (Jun 13, 2008)

Duke said:


> Well according to the first page I got from Google, his initials are JD. I know he's a well respected member of the community, and of this forum. I wish him all the best for his recovery.



Thats who I thought it was, especially talking about adders, no doubt the RH previously mentioned will be getting on his soapbox again.

All the best with the recovery.


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## herptrader (Jun 13, 2008)

I was chatting to my wife who had the TV on in the background and John's (aka the Turnip) picture came on the screen as part of a news bulletin. Because she was chatting to me she did not hear the spiel.

Must be a slow news day. Presumably by the 6pm bulletins it will have escalated to the point where he is at death's door. But the 6:30 manufactured pretend news John will be being interviewed having been resurrected from the dead, claiming it was only a minor flesh wound ... but the pull through will be pointing out that that was what the Black Night said in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.....


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## Tsidasa (Jun 13, 2008)

haha no alledged about it, his name is published in the news story.

If only he'd disconnected the electricity to his house he'd be safe =(


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## No-One (Jun 13, 2008)

Not bad.


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## cement (Jun 13, 2008)

I 'd like to hear the story from the 'horses mouth'. Not to criticise but as further learning about how these bites can occur.
An honest account of what was being done at the time, was there distraction, complacency etc.

Glad to hear your ok and live to tell the tale.


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## Tsidasa (Jun 13, 2008)

he just wasn't as fast as Jonno =(


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## dragon lady (Jun 13, 2008)

can anyone confirm if he is ok?


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## rmcneill (Jun 13, 2008)

I just read an article with the heading "Death adder almost kills a man" and says he is INCREDIBLEY lucky to be alive.
Some times they are so extream I would like to actually hear from John what happened


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## rmcneill (Jun 13, 2008)

It also says when the ambos arrived he was nearly dead! Here is the link
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/13/2273497.htm?section=justin


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## trader (Jun 13, 2008)

dragon lady said:


> can anyone confirm if he is ok?


 
He had a big smile on his face on the TV news, showing the finger that was bitten.


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## itbites (Jun 13, 2008)

*poor sdaji! (John)...I know all too well how the papers like to print hyped up mis-guided information..I'm glad he's okay! poor bugger *


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## No-One (Jun 13, 2008)

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23856805-661,00.html This one says it all.


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## dragon lady (Jun 13, 2008)

so some has talked to him?


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## snakehandler (Jun 13, 2008)

Its a shame that there is such hype over it, unfortunatly groups like RSPCA love to get hold of this to push for the banning of certain animals.


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## junglepython2 (Jun 13, 2008)

He is fine and happy, no antivenom needed and no hallucinating. It was just a baby that got him.


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## Kathryn_ (Jun 13, 2008)

Very glad to hear he's alright, seems like a lovely bloke.


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## gold&black... (Jun 13, 2008)

Good to know he's fine... WIll need to call him today... Is he still using the same mob no that he had in Brisbane??


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## horsenz (Jun 13, 2008)

dragon lady said:


> so some has talked to him?



i have as i said early i the thread he is fine and home now.
he is turning into a media tart now:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:


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## Tatelina (Jun 13, 2008)

herptrader said:


> Stories like this do not bode well for keepers as they will inevitably lead to a tightening of what we are allowed to keep. There is a view amongst friends who I believe are in the know that it is just a matter of time before keepers in Victoria will no longer be allowed to keep venomous snakes. Every incident like this brings this day closer.


As long as it isn't NSW.

Why does stuff like this have to reach the media? Disgraceful.


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## salebrosus (Jun 13, 2008)

Hugs to Sdaji! Never get the truth in the way of a good ole snake yarn huh?


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## Malley (Jun 13, 2008)

Tsidasa said:


> he just wasn't as fast as Jonno =(



Hows the view from up there? Get nose bleeds often?


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## Duke (Jun 13, 2008)

moosenoose said:


> I've got a feeling he's at home munching his way through a bowl of Doritos Duke, he's text me back this morning that he and the snake (very importantly) are fine :lol: And talking about cheesey things, I know he's quite cheesed off with the way the media has reported this! By accounts they've blown it out of all proportions! Never let the truth stand in the way of a good story



Join myself (David) and Moosenoose in educating the people out there that are clearly freaked over this event:
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/comments/0,22023,23856805-661,00.html

Some quotes that people have posted that [annoy] me:

"It's time to face reality and treat snakes as the menace that they are at least inside the metropolitan area."

"Now I know why my wife doesn't want snakes around the house, poisonous or not! She said that she WILL divorce me if ever I buy one... Rats are also persona non grata too...."

" Anyone else see anything wrong in the use of the words "pet" and "death adder" in the same sentence?"


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## Mrs I (Jun 13, 2008)

Well we all know what he looks like now even on the news here in Adelaide, your a star !!


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## moosenoose (Jun 13, 2008)

Sadly though Duke, nobody truly gets what is beind the passion in this hobby. It's literally wasted breath


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## Mrs I (Jun 13, 2008)

Just found this article, 

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=579458


So many different articles saying different things, gotta love the media !


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## ytamarin (Jun 13, 2008)

How ironic!

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/veterans-corner/death-adder-bite-with-picture-79837


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## dragon lady (Jun 13, 2008)

not very funny...considering!


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## Tatelina (Jun 13, 2008)

yellowtamarin said:


> How ironic!
> 
> http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/veterans-corner/death-adder-bite-with-picture-79837



Indeed.


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## BlindSnake (Jun 13, 2008)

Sdaji, you a T.V star. just saw you on the news. Well done.


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## caustichumor (Jun 13, 2008)

"Altered consciousness," That actually sounds like the way a lot of people spend there weekends!! 
But that is definately something you don't want to get hooked on!!


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## Veredus (Jun 13, 2008)

Wonder if he rushed straight for the camera, we all know Sdaji likes to take a good adder pic


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## moosenoose (Jun 13, 2008)

> "People slip over in the shower and break their neck and die or become quadriplegics. I still shower, I still drive a car and so yeah, I'll still keep death adders and love it."



Poetry in motion Sdaji ol' boy! :lol: Love it!!! hehehe

http://www.theage.com.au/national/snake-breeder-left-paralysed-after-bite-20080613-2q0t.html

At least today has given me something fun to focus on


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## dragon lady (Jun 13, 2008)

words from the man in question would be good!


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## Nagraj (Jun 13, 2008)

At least he wasn't bitten on the penis.
:lol:


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## Kathryn_ (Jun 13, 2008)

...Or with his pants round his ankles on the side of a road in Thailand.



> So as deadly snake bites go, it is actually quite pleasant."



Comedy gold.


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## FNQ_Snake (Jun 13, 2008)

Do we know what happened or how the bite occurred? Hopefully someone who knows him might be able to shed some light on the matter.

Hope he is OK.

Cheers


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## shlanger (Jun 13, 2008)

Good one, J.D. welcome to the snake bite survivers club!!!!!!!!!!


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## thals (Jun 13, 2008)

agghh thought I recognised that mug on the telly :lol:

Hope our turnip loving mate's ok, any updates?


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## Glider (Jun 13, 2008)

I kept an eye out for the news just to see the newsreader attempt his name


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## amazonian (Jun 13, 2008)

Video clip of the interview
http://media.smh.com.au/?rid=38690&sy=smh&source=undefined


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## RedEyeGirl (Jun 13, 2008)

ouch..........poor guy.....but still wat if he was being stupid


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## Dan19 (Jun 13, 2008)

Well there go's any hope of getting a snake for xmas ,, thanks a lot mate, just what the wife needed to read b4 she said yes , . Hope ya get better 
Posted by: steve of kinglake 11:19am today 
Comment 6 of 12.

LOL, was he going to get a elapid for his first snake was he? What a massive tool!


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## moosenoose (Jun 13, 2008)

I love the career clawing biochemist :?


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## Splitmore (Jun 13, 2008)

hmm, certainly doesn't look too bothered by all the media attention!!


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## ryanharvey1993 (Jun 13, 2008)

oh glad hes ok, i thought it was someone else bitten


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## xycom (Jun 13, 2008)

I've always had the impression that Adders have a reputation for biting keepers, is this true?



Per


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## Dan19 (Jun 13, 2008)

Any snake will bite there owner under the right circumstances xycom. I just watched the channel 7 news on him, and i now know how to pronounce Sdaji.


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## snakehandler (Jun 13, 2008)

Any animal is capable of a bite, not just snakes. Its interesting that snake keepers can be given such a hard time about it, yet when a dog bites its owner it is all the dogs fault. I put both down to human error, animals are fine until humans attempt to touch them!


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## Viridae (Jun 13, 2008)

Anaphylactic shock - an allergic reaction. While serious it can also be caused by peanuts, bees etc etc - anything your immune system severely overreacts to.


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## Splitmore (Jun 13, 2008)

xycom said:


> I've always had the impression that Adders have a reputation for biting keepers, is this true?
> 
> 
> 
> Per



adders while probably being one of the 'safest' elapids to keep but can unfortunately be very deceptive as well. Most other elapids (blacks, tigers etc) you only need to walk past their cage and you can tell in an instant if they are in the mood to bite. They usually give you plenty of warning and bluff before they actually bite. Adders on the other hand will just sit there and do nothing, day in and day out without moving a muscle. Most times you can clean the cage, change the water etc and the snake won't move but then one day the thing will explode from where it's lying trying to bite anything that moves. With adders it's nearly always a feeding response but it's so easy to get lulled into a false sense of security with them. Lucky for Sadji the bite appears to be very minor and a good lesson learnt. I've been keeping the things for almost 20 years and know full well what they are capable of and how fast they can move.


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## xycom (Jun 13, 2008)

I think it was mentioned earlier but people still get in a car every day, isn't that also a risky passtime.
Sharks always seem to get a bad rap aswell when there's an incident. 

How common is anaphylatcic shock or an allergic reaction from snake bite? A dude died last year from a Little whip snake bite.


Per


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## thepythonpit (Jun 13, 2008)

get well soon JD, some of us are rooting for ya


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## Viridae (Jun 13, 2008)

xycom said:


> I think it was mentioned earlier but people still get in a car every day, isn't that also a risky passtime.
> Sharks always seem to get a bad rap aswell when there's an incident.
> 
> How common is anaphylatcic shock or an allergic reaction from snake bite? A dude died last year from a Little whip snake bite.
> ...



If I remember my third year genetics lessons correctly severe allergic reactions are more likely to occur after a previous exposure. Certainly one of that speed requires it - needs time for the antibodies to be produced. When there is previous exposure the antibodies will be there and ready to go.


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## Pythonking (Jun 13, 2008)

snakehandler said:


> Any animal is capable of a bite, not just snakes. Its interesting that snake keepers can be given such a hard time about it, yet when a dog bites its owner it is all the dogs fault. I put both down to human error, animals are fine until humans attempt to touch them!




dido snakehandler I often hear people talkin up themselves and saying good handlers shouldn't get bitten but its human nature to create errors, I've personally been bitten by one of my dogs and it was neglect on my part that caused the bite not that the dog is vicious and intentially wanted to hurt me, I think as a good handler of either animal reading the patterns and thinking about whats going on is the most important thing and even if you do get bitten get back on that horse.


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## snakehandler (Jun 13, 2008)

When keeping and working with vens we all know the dangers, we accept that we may get bitten and try to remind ourselves every day that errors are made and to keep yourself on the ball. No-one wants to get bitten but it is a reality.


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## tfor2 (Jun 13, 2008)

Wow I only just heard tonight (friday) at dinner with friends. Those friends who i have mentioned sdaji's name to said "Did you see on the news that a guy called Sdaji was bitten by a death adder last night.... Well i just dropped my prawn in my lap sauce and all, did the quick oh my god please tell me the rest of the story. So Sdaji glad your ok and lets just hope that the media doesnt play around with that any more than they have for all our sakes. lol you know what i mean .


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## Snake_Whisperer (Jun 13, 2008)

Just watched the vid of the interview, glad you have a sense of humor about it mate! Hopefully the haters will see that even though you got bit you clearly still love 'em! Oh yeh, and keep your meaty bits away from the poisonous bitey bits!!


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## Duke (Jun 13, 2008)

Now I'm furious.
From the same page I linked to earlier:
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/comments/0,22023,23856805-661,00.html



> Listening to the bite victim on 3aw it is clear that the man has no expertise with reptiles. The claims by his friends? above that he is a venom researcher are a lie as I am a biochemist and have never heard of this victim. In summary his reckless attitude to public safety has cost the taxpayers thousands of dollars for which he is unrepentant. Unless the DSE stop allowing novices to play with deadly snakes and other novices to train them with inapproriate methods like "tongs", then more bites and eventualyl a death or two will follow. At the moment, anyone who stumps up the cash (about $100) for a licence (no questions asked) can then go and buy a snake and kill themself or worse their children. Victoria is the only Australian state where the state wildlife authority has such a cavalier attitude to public safety.




And this one is a beauty too


> I fail to see how a snake can be a pet. Its a snake with no warmth or feeling like a dog, cat, bird, or even tiger all of which display affection and emotion. For myself I only allow two types of snake on my block dead non venamous and dead venamous ones.


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## baxtor (Jun 13, 2008)

Can anybody tell me how the media was alerted to the event. Softly softly might have been more prudent without the interview if avoiding negative coverage was a concern.
I know of another keeper who was bitten by one of his tigers back in February. ended up in hospital etc. but nobody on this forum knew about it and the media sure as hell didn't. Has to be the prefered option I think.


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## bigi (Jun 13, 2008)

i see everything is ok, hope all is well sdaji, look forward to hearing the storey from the horses mouth


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## Splitmore (Jun 13, 2008)

baxtor said:


> Can anybody tell me how the media was alerted to the event. Softly softly might have been more prudent without the interview if avoiding negative coverage was a concern.
> I know of another keeper who was bitten by one of his tigers back in February. ended up in hospital etc. but nobody on this forum knew about it and the media sure as hell didn't. Has to be the prefered option I think.



The media have a way of sniffing out this kind of thing, after all it's their job. In the scheme of things it was a very minor incident, a mild envenomation with no real medical treatment required but must say i was a little taken back with the interview, the person bitten certainly seems to be relishing in the media hype.


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## snakehandler (Jun 13, 2008)

Must have been a slow news day!


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## cris (Jun 13, 2008)

snakehandler said:


> Must have been a slow news day!



Its sad that a minor snakebite seems to be more important than people importing and breeding hybrid cats that have the potential to wipe out native species, as much so on this site as in the general media. I dont see why others personal medical issues should be subject to so much stupid gossip. He seems to be fine, i think its time to move on.


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## rodentrancher (Jun 13, 2008)

I'm sure Sdaji will be fine! These things happen! At least he had the correct treatment. Don't understand why the "MEDIA" is saying he's a breeder of "EXOTIC" snakes. Cheers Cheryl


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## xycom (Jun 13, 2008)

How far from the truth does the media have to go before they get reprimanded for it? It seems they can stretch it pretty far!


Per


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## spongebob (Jun 13, 2008)

All goes to prove adders dont eat turnips


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## Nagraj (Jun 13, 2008)

rodentrancher said:


> Don't understand why the "MEDIA" is saying he's a breeder of "EXOTIC" snakes.




Because it's true. To the general public all snakes are exotic (unusual) pets. Vets who specialise in anything other than cats, dogs and farm animals are often referred to as exotic species vets.


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## snakehandler (Jun 13, 2008)

Reptiles are considered exotic to many as they are not considered a normal pet, many dont even consider them a pet at all.


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## herptrader (Jun 13, 2008)

snakehandler said:


> Reptiles are considered exotic to many as they are not considered a normal pet, many dont even consider them a pet at all.



Technically Death Adders are exotic to Victoria being non indigenous. The term "exotic" is probably being used in a correct sense - just not in the way that we as Aussie herpers use it, ie not from Australia.

The poisonous / venomous confusion I can less easily forgive.


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## Danda_Reptilia (Jun 14, 2008)

If it is same as I am think (YEP it is him)......check this link

http://media.smh.com.au/?rid=38690&s...urce=undefined


Get better soon mate.


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## Bendarwin (Jun 14, 2008)

Danda_Reptilia said:


> If it is same as I am think (YEP it is him)......check this link
> 
> http://media.smh.com.au/?rid=38690&s...urce=undefined
> 
> ...



Awesome............ who said Tasmania was behind the times. We have a new prime minister too...........lol


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## Sdaji (Jun 14, 2008)

Well! What a day! Never believe what you hear on the news, especially on a slow news day! When there's no news they become even more keen than usual to exaggerate. It was such a slow news day that my story not only made national headlines, but was even reported overseas! :shock: I can't understand how a trivial event like this can become international news!

Contrary to what a certain ambulance driver with a big and unreliable mouth might lead you to believe, funnily enough, my "exotic" Death Adders actually originate from Australia (to be fair, at least that part of his misinformation was probably an honest mistake rather than a deliberate lie), the amount of venom was trivial and certainly far less than enough to warrant the use of antivenom. I didn't collapse after paramedics arrived, I certainly didn't hallucinate and wasn't disoriented, in an 'altered frame of mind' or anything similar. One or two of the ambulance staff grossly abused their positions and dispensed misinformation and sadly, some of this appears to have been deliberate lies, not to mention the disgusting breach of privacy. I'll be following this up over the next few days.

Yes, I did have an anaphylactic reaction, which was rapidly reversed by the standard technique (adrenaline injection) without further complication. As you'll have seen, I was happily joking and laughing with television staff as soon as I saw them, and I'd been happily chatting and mucking around with medical staff for hours before the story about me being almost dead/in a critical condition/etc first hit the media. When I first heard that the story had hit the media I wasn't really concerned, in fact, I was simply a little surprised that anyone would be interested in such a trivial event. When I heard about what was being said, I was unhappy about the misinformation, etc etc, especially in regard to snakes being given a bad wrap, and so I put aside my plans for the day and agreed to play games with the media circus in order to give out the true story and put snakes in a more favourable light. Believe me, if I hadn't done this the situation would have been a lot worse!

If you saw me on the television, you'll have seen that I was completely happy, joking away with the media guys and feeling fine, with no more than a tiny bit of a reaction at the site of the bite (like a mild bee sting - maybe they should have done a _really_ scarey story about paper, and the horrors of papercuts :lol: ). After all the interviews and watching the news, I went to the VAAH meeting this evening with the speaker, John "Gecko Wrangler" McGrath, and all who were present saw that I was in perfect health.

To be honest, my biggest personal concern (the biggest non-personal concern was the misinformation and bad publicity for snakes) was losing my car keys in all the commotion and not being able to get my car in for the service I'd booked. For those who have been concerned about me personally; I ended up finding my keys and the mechanic was thrilled to hear that I was the one he'd been hearing about all day and was more than pleased to reschedule the work, so, I am fine. Having said that, I had things I wanted to do today and the delays have meant that it's now getting on for 5am and so even though there's a lot more to be said, I'm going to leave it here for now (I've posted a bit more elsewhere online, but I'm feeling like I'd rather sleep than go on!). I'll type more later, and feel free to ask more questions which in time I will address, but I plan to sleep in, so I probably won't be typing more until Satuday night or some time Sunday.

Thank you for the hundreds of SMSes and calls I recieved today, wishing me well. Your concern is greatly appreciated and I can assure you that I'm fine  I'm sorry to be unable to respond to every SMS (there really were just too many, my inbox constantly filled, was deleted and was refilled during most of the day) and I'm sorry I missed so many phone calls, the phone was simply calling almost nonstop a lot of the time.


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## horsenz (Jun 14, 2008)

glad you are better you media tart. i would just like to point out that we are not ambulance drivers but paramedics driving the ambulance is a very small part of our job,we are more like taxi drivers the way people abuse the ambulance service:lol::lol::lol::lol:


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## Earthling (Jun 14, 2008)

Good to hear your all fine Sdaji. You had an interesting day from the sounds of it.
Just one question....what did it feel like when they injected the adrenaline? Comparisons are good. Do they still inject it straight into the heart?


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## slim6y (Jun 14, 2008)

That's just a knee jerk reaction to the litre of venom and then the anti venom you received Sdaji - it's ok... The affects may wear off in a few weeks and you'll start remembering your unconscious state and hallucinations.

That aside... is the snake ok?


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## moosenoose (Jun 14, 2008)

This comment was waaaaaay outta line:

*In summary his reckless attitude to public safety has cost the taxpayers thousands of dollars for which he is unrepentant.*

Simply because...*YOU'VE MADE PAGE 11 IN THE HERALD SUN TODAY!!!* :lol: :lol: :lol: *CONGRATULATIONS SARGE!!!*  Talk about creating jobs!! Had this minor incident not occurred, we would have had at least 20 journalists with a major void left in their day yesterday! And all of the TV news networks left wondering what they were going to do to fill in that 5 minute spot in their 6pm time slot! Well done, you've given Aussies jobs! (and some international ones too :lol

See, I always try and look on the bright side of things


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## redbellybite (Jun 14, 2008)

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA sid you make me crack up girl .........................love that little comment about super JONNO


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## euphorion (Jun 14, 2008)

lol, yay for media sensationalism! Glad to hear you're okay Sadji 

btw, did you really call the little bugger 'muffin'? lol


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## toxinologist (Jun 14, 2008)

Sadji,
Glad to hear the actual injury was less of an insult than some of the crap being posted in forums and on newspaper websites. If you feel so inclined, PM me and let's talk about getting your venom allergy status checked out at AVRU.

Kale Griffin http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/comments/0,22023,23856805-661,00.html is none other than Raymond Hoser. But I guess that is only to be expected, he loves hiding behind pseudonyms after all...

Cheers


David


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## Jungletrans (Jun 14, 2008)

l drive an accident tow truck and attend lots of fatals . So far none were caused by a snake . Speaking to a News photographer at a crash scene l was told that the public is so used to road trauma that unless it is a slow news day it has to be at least a double death or somehow spectacular to make the news . The other nite l watched in horror as the prime time news spent two solid min [ $200000 of add space ] on the non story of the non arrival of Mokbels girlfriend at the airport .


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## FNQ_Snake (Jun 14, 2008)

Good to hear from you Sdaji. Nice post. Thanks for clearing a whole lot of heresay up.

Thumbs up dude.


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## dragon lady (Jun 14, 2008)

Yes,thank you Sdaji...
so glad it end out as bad as media hyped it up to be
your are a pivotal person in our community...glad your breathing!


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## [email protected] (Jun 14, 2008)

sdaji great to see a full recovery

cant wait when you have some adders to sell 
cheers steve.


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## tfor2 (Jun 14, 2008)

i loved that comment about senseless tax payers money...... So lets add to that senseless list then

BUSHWALKERS: airlifting them out of national parks after going off tracks
SCUBA DIVERS: Stay near the boat.. BOAT WHAT BOAT.
LONE SAILOR TRAVELS THE WORLD: Hey where did he go, quick send out the navy to find him

I could go on and on about sensless taxpayers money... But you get the picture.


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## cris (Jun 14, 2008)

tfor2 said:


> i loved that comment about senseless tax payers money...... So lets add to that senseless list then
> 
> BUSHWALKERS: airlifting them out of national parks after going off tracks
> SCUBA DIVERS: Stay near the boat.. BOAT WHAT BOAT.
> ...



Many would see these things as the same, well i do anyway. I dont think the public should have to pay for these sort of things, but we do and its unlikely to change. Obviously wasting millions on a stupid sailor is far more extreme though, quite annoying when they just go and do it again to.


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## snakes4me2 (Jun 14, 2008)

Good to hear all is well sdaji, you have to wonder if the people who wrote this crap watched your interview and thought "how stupid do i look now?" Idiots


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## Sdaji (Jun 14, 2008)

horseNZ: Usually I refer to them as paramedics, but for the one or two individuals in question, I think "ambulance driver" is being generous.

Earthling: No, injections directly to the heart are either done in extreme situations, or more often, in the movies. My first one was done in the left shoulder, come to think of it, I can't recall where the second one was done, it might have been in the other shoulder. I was expecting it to be very painful, but it only mildly stung. If you use an epipen on yourself you usually do it to the thigh.

Slim6y: Perhaps I was hallucinating... my recollection of the whole event is much milder than everyone in the media seems to be sure of! It seems the only person who wasn't hallucinating was the ambulance driver who remembers just how much antivenom I required, etc etc etc. Even the staff at the hospital were hallucinating too much to recall giving me the antivenom, and there was no record of it being used, so they must have been too busy hallucinating to fill out the records. Good thing that one driver was level-headed enough to inform the world about just how horrific it all was! 

The snake is fine, although it probably will need to take some time to relax after having so many pictures and so much video footage taken of it.

moosenoose: Hahahaha! :lol: Brilliant angle on the situation!  Isn't it ironic that the person accusing me of harming the economy was sitting there with his career being assisted by my story? :lol: While in hospital I was frequently saying "I really should go, I'm fine and there are people who need these facilities more than I do". The staff kept pointing out that there were many free beds and it wasn't a busy time, so me being there wasn't a big deal and they didn't want me to go. At times there were crowds of staff around, taking great interest in the situation, and the news crews came into the hospital, keeping me there. Some of the staff were really enjoying it all and wanted me to stay much longer, and I had to discharge myself.

David: Yeah, it was obvious that Hoser would want to jump into the media circus to push his own agendas; blatant fact manipulation is the focus of his life. No surprises there, and no surprise at all that we would do it using an alias. I'm interested in the allergy test, I'll get in touch, thank you!


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## dragon lady (Jun 14, 2008)

glad you & the babe is ok...
good on you for filling us in


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## Sdaji (Jun 14, 2008)

FNQ_Snake: cheers 

dragon lady: Thanks for your concern, don't believe what the media tells you, especially on slow news days! If there's no news, they'll just make some up 

[email protected]: I'd just decided to sell one a few days ago, but hadn't got around to advertising her. Lovely red animal in perfect health, proven breeder and aunty to the snake which put me on the news! :lol: Someone is already interested, but I'll let you know if that falls through.

I feel bad about wasting tax payers' money, I really do, although unlike most cases of wasted health care money, in my case it filled space on a slow news day and helped the country's economy! In perspective of the media coverage, the money spent on me was nothing. The whole thing was beaten up by the media, and the money spent would be less than you might expect from the story. I was only in hospital for a few hours.

No, the snake's name isn't Muffin, although I joked about naming it Muffin when talking to one of the media guys (don't joke about anything with the media, it suddenly becomes solid fact, even when you point out clearly that it isn't!). I think I said something like "I often jokingly call animals Muffin if they don't have names", and it wasn't even in reference to that particular snake, we were talking about the names of some of my other snakes and I said many didn't have names.

Keep in mind that what you saw of me on the television was the thirty seconds or so they chose to take out of over an hour of footage they obtained of me, discussing lots of things about snakes. They chose the most negative things they could in order to make things look as bad as possible, I was smiling and laughing almost the whole time, but if you're filmed for that long there will be times when you're momentarily distracted and your expression changes, and they'll get stuff they can take out of context very easily, so all things considered it's remarkable I managed to be positive enough for the end result to be as positive as it was. The media was going to run with the story whether or not I was involved, and if I did not get actively involved it would have been a purely negative spin on snakes and snake keeping, with even more reports of an hallucinating man close to death, rather than someone in good health smiling and laughing, back playing with snakes and entertaining the media just hours after the bite.

Everyone keeps asking if my inbox is filled. Surprisingly, in the last 24 hours I've only received PMs from six people on this site, and most of those apologised for adding to the 'flood' :lol: I haven't even had all that many emails (maybe 30 or so). Mostly the barrage has been by phone.


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## itbites (Jun 14, 2008)

*LOL i didn't know the number  Seriously though what a crazy couple of days you must of had!...Thanks for filling us all in on what actually happened, it's a shame they didn't show all the good things you had to say about vens and snakes in general as pets.. but thats the way it goes I guess *


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## Chappy (Jun 14, 2008)

Glad to heart ur ok mate  Keep up the great work with all your snakes!

Just a question the media said you had over 100 snakes in you collection is this true??

Cheers Paul.


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## Earthling (Jun 14, 2008)

Sdaji said:


> Earthling: No, injections directly to the heart are either done in extreme situations, or more often, in the movies. My first one was done in the left shoulder, come to think of it, I can't recall where the second one was done, it might have been in the other shoulder. I was expecting it to be very painful, but it only mildly stung. If you use an epipen on yourself you usually do it to the thigh.


Aahhh well. There I was thinking youve had some huge jab to the heart and woken up like a snake been stepped on! But no......nothing quite as exciting as that...must have been only a few milligrams to not hurt...all good.


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## Sdaji (Jun 14, 2008)

itbites: they know they'll get better ratings from saying "Oooh! Scarey! Snakes are evil, someone is in a critical condition and will possibly die!" than "Someone took a trivial bite and isn't too fussed about it, he loves his snakes, they make good pets, nothing has changed and his biggest concern is missing his appointment with the mechanic and losing his car keys for a while, but that's all sorted out now". 

Chappy: the media reported various numbers of snakes in my collection. The reports of the number of Death Adders I keep varied between 40 and 70 (possibly outside this range as well, although I've still only viewed about three newspaper articles and websites. I'm not sure where the various figures came from. That aspect of the story isn't really important, whether it's two or 200, it doesn't really matter, so I won't confirm or contradict the reports. For the record, in the last week the only two people who have been in my snake room are myself and my girfriend, so no one did a count or anything.


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## Jason (Jun 14, 2008)

good to hear it is all well! wasnt aware it was you until about 20min ago (whe i started reading this long thread)
would be interesting for you to go through and note the alligations...i know i would have a laugh...the media is itself one of the biggest jokes on TV....would be up there with big brother, but that is another story.


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## horsenz (Jun 14, 2008)

well then sdaji i will educate you that we are all paramedic taxi drivers next weekend at the bbq,dont forget to bring muffin along for the action replay have sold lots of tickets to the media and us ambo drivers will be on hand to help u out if we are not to drunk:lol::lol::lol:


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## dottyback (Jun 14, 2008)

Great to hear your ok Sdaji.


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## ttaipan (Jun 14, 2008)

Hey Sdaji
I dont know you personally but i'm glad your ok! I spent 1 week in Intensive Care & 1 week in General Ward, 4 blood transfusions with 5 weeks Kidney Dialysis from a Notechis Scutatus bite Oct. 2007. It took 29 years to take a bite, then it only happened when i picked the "bagged" tiger snake up with thumb under knot instead of picking it up above the knot; can you believe that? I tell you now it is truth! Beautiful/placid snake i'd had for 4 years but very food concious. My incident did not even make the local paper (probably because my wife took me to hospital, not Ambo's) & i am very appreciated of that but it did draw numerous medical athourities from Melbourne to interview me & monitor as a case study. All the media here monitor radio traffic using frequency scannersI Because i am a CFA member i understand how they utilize scanners.It was another reason why i didnt use Ambo's to go to the hospital.I am sad of the media attention that your incident has created; Please note that there is no way am i blaming you. 
But Sdaji i'm glad your ok & it was great that we now,all have a clear "picture" of the whole incident.

Regards ttaipan


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## Danda_Reptilia (Jun 14, 2008)

Bendarwin said:


> Awesome............ who said Tasmania was behind the times. We have a new prime minister too...........lol




Damn do we....must have come as a package deal with our new Premier


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