Famous last words.
“Respected snake researcher dies from rattlesnake bite”
Sounds like he wasn’t all that ‘respected’ by the snake, at least.
Hard to swallow.
He rattled the wrong rattler.
80 years old, but in good shape.
Cursed American “Asp’s”. I used to run at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs - a few times stepped near these creatures and the rattle made me run like the Devil was chasing me.
The moral of the story is stay away as far as you can from timber rattlers.
RIP
COVID: He died from an injection.
He should have taken up baseball, where you don’t need a perfect record to keep going.
Take me in oh tender researcher, take me in for heavens sake.
“Sorry, John. I’m a snake, it’s what I do.”
Play with snakes...
They are definitely an endangered species around me.
“They save their venom for their prey,” he said.
**************
Kind of like Democrats.
I’ve had run-ins with timber rattlers and they aren’t aggressive, like copperheads.
Sadly for the rattlers, having a loud rattle is a negative for their survival - because once heard, they are often hunted down.
A herpetologist of noted fame
Whose caution in study was lame
Got too close for a view
The snake took a chew
Race over, set, match and game
He rattled his last snake.
When I read the headline, I thought surely it was the snake handler in St.Cloud, Florida who has been milking snakes for research and entertainment over 40 plus years!
He’s been bitten at least twice through the years……King Cobra and rattlesnake, if I remember!
The Cobra almost killed him……he is also missing one or two fingers!
Many years ago we so enjoyed our visits there…he was a complete professional and provided entertaining and teaching in his routine.
But we went back last year and either he is getting too old….or the venom has eroded his brain….
Instead of teachable moments ……he was a fire breathing liberal who yelled about Conservatives….
Folks walked out……I wanted to walk out, but my some of my visitors wanted to see the snakes…
I went inside and complained to the front office….
…their response,!!!!
..’We hear this often’
Unreal!
I knew a guy who died after several rattlesnake bites over his lifetime. The venom from previous strikes had built up over the years just like the doctor in this story mentions; he was elderly similar to the man in this story. IIRC, he was putting a water dish in aquarium when he was last bit.
He should have a briefcase full of anti-venom vials.
They’ve got some snake handling preachers in that part of the world.