A 9-year-old Florida boy nearly made a fatal mistake after approaching one of the world’s most venomous snakes, believing it to be a “stuffed animal”.
Angelo Owens was hanging out at his grandmother’s house in Longwood on Wednesday when he spotted something in the corner of her backyard, according to WESH 2.
“I thought it was a stuffed animal,” Angelo said after approaching it and realizing it was a live snake.
The boy immediately went inside to tell his family about the discovery. They initially believed Angelo had come across a harmless garden snake – until they heard the rattle of a 4ft long diamondback rattlesnake.
“Just a loud hiss. You can hear it two to three houses away — it’s loud,” Angelo’s father, Alex Owens, told the outlet.
Alex shared that his son’s experience was “scary” and left him “trembling for a moment”, thinking how different the outcome would have been.
Angelo Owens showed where he first saw the snake in his grandmother’s yard.WESH2
Fortunately for the family, Angelo wasn’t close enough to the predator, and the family called one of central Florida’s most experienced critter catchers, Bob Cross.
“He’s a lucky boy. If he hadn’t been smart enough to go get his mother, or if he had tried to take her, or approach her … it would have been a different story,” Cross told the outlet.
The family said they contacted the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation (FWC) service first, but when their staff arrived, they told them they could not deal with venomous snakes and gave them a list of people who could, according to the outlet.
The very poisonous snake was safely removed from the property. WESH2
The Eastern diamondback rattlesnake — the largest venomous snake in the United States, which can grow up to 8 feet long — was safely removed from the property and taken to a reptile center that will collect its venom to make antivenin to save the lives of snakebite victims.
The Owens family is no stranger to Florida’s wildlife and has dealt with coyotes, foxes, and even bears sneaking into their garage — but this venomous predator was a first.
Eastern diamondback rattlesnakes are often found in open-canopy pine forests that burn frequently, but can be found in a variety of habitats, according to the FWC.
The Eastern diamondback rattlesnake is the largest venomous snake in the United States.WESH2
Its bite can be very painful and releases a poison called hemotoxin that kills red blood cells and causes tissue damage.
Said to be excellent swimmers, diamondback rattlesnakes can appear yellow or tan, with the main characteristic being the contrasting black, brown and cream diamonds on their backs.
Venomous snakes will also use vegetation as cover, relying on camouflage to hide them while searching for food.
In September, an Amazon driver was left in serious condition in hospital after being bitten by a large rattlesnake while delivering a package in Florida.
The driver failed to notice the giant Timur diamond back curled up near the front door of a house in Pam City.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
