Xinhua
1/21/16- MELBOURNE, -- The authorities have urged residents in the
Australian state of Victoria, especially those living in country areas, to be
on high alert following a string of recent snake attacks across the state.
The warning comes after
at least three people were hospitalized and three dogs were killed by suspected
snake bites around Victoria over the past fortnight.
One snake catcher told
Melbourne radio station 3AW on Thursday that conditions were ideal for snakes
this summer and the growing urban sprawl meant this would be an ongoing problem
for people living in the outer suburbs.
A man aged in his 20s was
hospitalized on Wednesday night after being bitten by a snake near Seymour,
north of Melbourne, and a Kyabram resident, also in the state's north, suffered
a suspected snake bite early on Thursday morning.
After spending three days
in Dandenong Hospital, Barbara McDougall, who was bitten at her home south-east
of Melbourne, told the local newspaper she had been badly shaken following her
ordeal.
"It was absolutely
terrifying," McDougall told the Cranbourne Leader on Thursday.
"I was putting my
rubbish out when a one-metre long tiger snake grabbed my leg and wouldn't let
go. I was screaming and shaking my leg as hard as I could until I finally got
it off."
McDougall said three dogs
in the neighbouring area had been killed in similar incidents over the past two
weeks. She said she had never known a snake season as bad as the current one
and that the state could be headed for a plague.
"From what I've
heard, they're in plague proportions in this area," McDougall said.
Wildlife authorities in
Victoria were moved on Thursday to issue the following tips to anyone helping a
snake bite victim: ask the patient not to move, apply a broad crepe bandage
over bite, seek medical help quickly, do not wash venom off skin or cut bitten
areas, do not try to suck venom out of wound or use a tourniquet and do not try
to catch the snake.
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