Everything You Shouldn't Do When You Find A Snake

I was just reading this article and it reinforced the need for people to read information like that provided on the Working with Wildlife website.

Two boys come across a Cottonmouth snake and start trying to kill it by hitting it with an oar - little wonder it raised itself up and started hissing at them!!!

They eventually drown the snake in a bucket - here's a question - why?

Just a thought - is it possible that the snake might have been frightened and hurt because it was being battered by a lump of wood and the only means of defence it had was to hiss at whatever was battering it?

It was reassuring to read the comments by Mr Booth of North Carolina State University who advised that simply avoiding snakes is the best way to prevent yourself from being bitten.

Could I ask readers to take part in a small experiment - have a friend tie your arms by your side so you cannot move them - then get them to tie your legs together so you cannot move them - then get them to lie you down on the ground (gently) - then get them to start hitting you with a lump of wood - then get them to stick your head into a bucket of water - I suspect that there will be a bit more coming out of your mouth than just a hiss!!!!

Please take some time to read the information provided on the Working with Wildlife website and consider purchasing our e-Book - at the very least you will begin to get an understanding of why snakes do what they do when they come into contact with people and we hope that through having a better understanding of snakes people will stop killing them simply because they come across them in their travels.

What Not To Do When You Find A Snake

I am just reading this article where a lady has been bitten by a baby copperhead snake when she picked it up to show her children!!!!

Please have a read of the information available on the Working with Wildlife website - this bite could have been easily avoided simply by leaving the snake alone.

The Importance Of Education

Yesterday my family and I visited The Grand Canyon (what a magnificent sight) and during the day I saw something that proved you can never get enough good education.

While looking at examples of housing that were used over the years by native Americans, several nearby tourists became very animated and started running around one of the "tents" that had been made using branches of trees draped over a timber frame.

I wandered over to see what the commotion was about and one guy was running around the structure yelling that he had heard a "rattle" and thought there was a snake inside the tent.

I stood there and watched while this same guy then starts to stick his hand inside the branches trying to part them!!!!

I commented "Don't you think that is a bit dangerous?" and his response was "I have never seen a rattlesnake up close!!!"

I could not believe what I had just heard - this guy is miles away from anywhere, with limited medical services and he is sticking his hand into branches where he believes a rattlesnake is hiding because he has never seen one before!!!!!

This is why good education is so important - if this guy had looked at the Working with Wildlife website, perhaps read the FAQ About Snakes information, or better, read the e-Book, he would have known just how crazy what he was doing was.

There is, however, a happy ending to this story - the "rattle" the guy had heard turned out to be nothing more than a cricket clicking its wings!!!!!!

The guy might have been disappointed but at least he never ended up in hospital!!!

Extra Dangers Caused By The Mississippi Floods

Just been reading this article about the Mississippi floods where residents are being warned to take care because the water has displaced venomous snakes.

Now, more than ever, would be a good time to check out the Working with Wildlife website and if nothing else download a snake bite first aid sheet - it costs you nothing and could save a life if someone is bitten and help is not at hand because of the floods.

It would also be a very good idea to consider buying the e-Book, or doing the online course because both will provide you with strategies that could reduce your chances of being bitten.

Also remember that you can always Contact Us with any questions you have on this topic and we will be happy to provide you with any information we can.

The USA e-Book Is Now Available!!!!

Long time readers of this blog and people who have been to the Working with Wildlife website would be aware that we have been working on an e-Book to give people a better understanding of snakes of the USA and their actions when they come into contact with people.

Well, after hours of work and a fantastic effort by all the Working with Wildlife team, the Snakes & Us In The USA - A Sensible Perspective e-Book is now available for sale.

It is a fascinating read and we are sure that by the end of the book you will have a better appreciation of why these creatures do what they do and will learn strategies that will greatly reduce the chance of you being bitten by a snake.

There are snake bite first aid sheets at the back of the book that can be printed off to keep with you while you travel and there are also many references to other information if herpetology is a subject that interests you.

Check it out - it is well worth the read.

The e-Book Is Almost Here!!

Long time readers of this blog and those of you who have visited the Working with Wildlife website would be aware that we have been working on an e-Book for people interested in snakes of the USA and the way they react when confronted by humans.

Well, the book is in the final stages of production and will be available to purchase shortly.

We are very proud of the book - it is an easy to read publication that will be an invaluable source of information on snakes and their behaviour.

It also contains Snake Bite First Aid instructions that can be printed off and kept on hand in case you, or anyone you know, ever gets bitten by a snake.

With the warmer weather now here and the likelihood that you could some across a snake greatly increasing, it is well worth having a quality reference source like the Working with Wildlife e-Book on hand.

We will keep you up to date on the e-Book's release as the date gets closer - in the meantime, if there is anything you would like to know about snakes of the USA please ask us via this blog, or if it is easier, Contact Us via our website.

A Different View On Rattlesnakes Worth Reading

I have just been reading this article that is well worth having a look at.

A study has commenced in Vermont on the Timber Rattlesnake of western Rutland County.

It was interesting to read that this snake was added to the endangered species list in 1987 and up until 1971 there was even a bounty paid to kill these animals.

There are also some interesting comments by biologists and herpetologists on these animals and there behaviour around humans that are well worth considering.

This is a big part of the reason why Working with Wildlife started - if, by providing easy to understand information on snakes and their behaviour, we can help people better understand why snakes do what they do when confronted by humans, it is our hope that this increased level of understanding will help reduce the number of people bitten by snakes while at the same time also reduce the number of snakes killed senselessly by people simply because of a lack of understanding.

Our Australian Branch Is Very Excited!!!

We are very excited to announce that Working with Wildlife Australia has just received its license (Number 272) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resource's Wildlife Animal Ethics Committee to use animals whilst presenting their training courses!!!!

The significance of this achievement is that they have satisfied the committee that their training techniques and housing facilities take into account the care, safety, health and well being of the reptiles they use in their presentations.

This is one aspect of our business that has always been very important to us - at all times the safety and well being of our trainees is paramount and we constantly keep the information we provide on the subject of snakes, snake bite and snake bite first aid up to date, but we are also very conscious that the snakes used in presentations need to be housed, transported, handled and rested appropriately at all times.

Check out the Working with Wildlife Australia website to get an idea of the type of training they provide and if you would like to know more about what Working with Wildlife can offer, please contact us and we will be happy to answer any questions.

Check Out The New USA Website

The finishing touches have been completed and the new Working with Wildlife USA website has been launched. Check it out to find out more about snakes and snake behaviour in the USA and there is a really good deal available where you can do the Online Snake Awareness course for a heavily reduced price while the e-Book is being completed.

The Name Has Changed But The Value Of The Information Remains The Same

Long time readers of this blog will have noticed that the name has recently changed from Living with Wildlife USA to Working with Wildlife USA. This is because there have been some internal changes within our subsidiary company in Australia and they are now trading under the new name Working with Wildlife.

After lengthy discussions we have decided to do the same thing here and in the very near future we will be introducing you to our new website - Working with Wildlife USA!!!

Keep visiting this blog, or visit our current website where you will find out more - we are very excited about this new initiative and we are sure you, as the customer, will benefit greatly from this change.

First Aid For Pit Viper Snake Bite Instructions

The First Aid For Pit Viper Snake Bite instruction sheet is now available for download via the Living with Wildlife website.

You can now have first aid instructions for both Pit Viper and Elapid snake bite free of charge simply by downloading and printing off the sheets and keeping them in an easily accessible location.

Many people who download these sheets get them laminated to both protect them and also so that they can make notes on them using a marking pen while waiting for medical assistance to arrive.

We hope you find these instructions helpful if snakes and snake bite are a problem in your area.

An Example Of Why You Need To Know More

I am just reading this article about a 7 year old girl who was bitten by a Timber Rattlesnake, ended up unconscious for two hours and her father had to perform CPR on her.

The article is a perfect example of why more people should have a look at the Living with Wildlife website and consider doing the online snake awareness course.

There are free snake bite first aid treatment instructions that you can download and print off to use as a reference and the online snake awareness course provides detailed instructions on first aid to administer in the event of snake bite.

It was great to read that the young victim is now recovering - we hope you get better soon.

Check Out The Online Course Sample

There have been several inquiries to Living with Wildlife asking if it was possible to view a sample of the Online Snake Awareness course to see what type of information is available on it.

Thank you for your feedback - we listened - click here to check out a sample of the course so that you can get a feel for the depth of information that is available on it.

In particular, take note of the Main Menu screen to see just how much information on snakes and their behaviour you will learn from this course - it is great value for money and well worth completing if this topic is of interest to you.

Snake Bites Are Up In Palo Pinto County

I am just reading this article from Palo Pinto County in Texas where there has been an increase in the number of people being bitten by snakes.

The CEO of Palo Pinto General Hospital believes this is due to high temperatures in the area.

The article also discusses just how expensive anti-venom is for the treatment of snake bite - each vial costs $2,000.00 - and depending on the severity of the bite, a patient could need 8 to 10 vials when treated!!!

Another reason why people should consider reading the information on the Living with Wildlife website and should consider doing the online snake awareness course - for a fraction of the cost of a vial of anti-venom you can do a course that will provide you with information that will greatly reduce your chances of being bitten by a snake - can you afford not to do it?

Why You Don't Go Near Them!!

I am just reading this article where a woman has been bitten by a snake while she tried to help her dog who had also been bitten by the reptile.

This is the exact reason why Living with Wildlife set up its website. If this person had done the Online Snake Awareness course, that only takes a bit over an hour to complete (and you don't have to do it all in one go), the last thing she would have done was gone near her dog immediately after it was bitten.

If the dog had backed off after being bitten then there is a better than good chance that the snake would have also disappeared as soon as it had the chance and the lady could have then safely recovered her pet and taken it straight to the vet for treatment.

If snakes are a problem in your area, seriously consider doing the online course. It gives you a very good insight into snakes and what to do if ever you come into contact with one.

A Great Resource of Information

I read this online question about corn snake bite yesterday and not being a technician in this area I thought I would ask the Living with Wildlife team if they could help with an answer.

Less than 24 hours later the following response came back -

Even though a Corn Snake is considered "non-venomous" there is some evidence that they have toxins in their saliva which can cause localized reactions in some people. This seems to be the case in this instance although the possibility of secondary infection may also be a possibility - refer http://www.toxinology.com/fusebox.cfm?fuseaction=main.snakes.display&id=SN1379 for more information.

It is great having resources like Living with Wildlife readily available online, because this type of subject is often not relevant to people until the are unlucky enough to be bitten by a snake.

That is why something like the online snake awareness course and the soon to be released e-Book can be so useful - both go into much greater detail on the subject of snakes, snake bite and how to reduce the chance of being bitten by one - for how much they cost it is well worth considering the course or the book.

Snake Bite Treatment For Horses

Just reading this article which is a timely reminder that it is not only humans that need to be aware of snakes, snake bite and appropriate snake bite treatment.

If any readers have stories of snakes, or snake bite incidents involving themselves or people they know, we would love to hear about them.

Check Out The Free First Aid Instructions!!!!

As was stated when this blog was first set up, Living with Wildlife's goal is to teach people about snakes, the way they behave when they come into contact with people and how you can greatly reduce the chances of being bitten by one.

It is an unfortunate fact, however, that people will still be bitten by snakes, so Living with Wildlife is pleased to provide, free of charge, downloadable First Aid for Elapid Snake Bite Instructions.

These instructions contain the most up to date first aid treatment for an Elapid snake bite, so if you travel, camp, bush walk, live in an area where snakes are a problem, or just have a medical interest in snake bite treatment, download the instructions, print them off, perhaps laminate the sheet to protect it and although we hope you never have to use it, please keep it easily accessible in case the need for snake bite treatment ever arises.

First Aid Instructions for Pit Vipers will also soon be available, so check the website when you can and download it with the compliments of Living with Wildlife when it becomes available (it's not too far away!!!).

Say Hello to Living with Wildlife!!!

Living with Wildlife would like to introduce itself to the people of the United States and is pleased to announce that after many sleepless nights and many hours of work its website is finally up and running!!!

This blog and the Living with Wildlife website have been set up to give people living and traveling throughout the United States a better understanding of snakes, how they react when they come into contact with humans and what people can do to greatly reduce the chance of bitten by a snake.

Living with Wildlife has been researching snakes and their behaviour since 1971, so we have a wealth of knowledge on the subject.

We would encourage people living in areas where snakes and snake bite is a problem to follow this blog and check out the information that is available on our website because we are confident that we have the knowledge and expertise to greatly reduce the chance of you being bitten by a snake.

We would also suggest that people traveling throughout the United States take the time to look over our website and take advantage of our Online Snake Awareness course because both will provide you with invaluable information on actions to take (or not take!!) if ever you come into contact with a snake on your travels.

We look forward to any inquiry or question you have on this fascinating subject, so please contact us, or post questions or comments on this blog because we hope that through the sharing of information we will give people a better appreciation of this much misunderstood animal.