Man bitten by rattler while shopping at Wal-Mart

Atlanta Journal-Constitution ^ | 9/30/2003 | Associated Press

[Lockbar]

A snake at Wal-mart??? Gee, I didn't think Barbra Streisand would ever set foot in a "regular" peoples store.

[Quilla]

My husband picks up every rattlesnake he sees. He wraps duct tape around their heads, freezes them, and gives them to a local taxidermist. About 2 weeks ago, he came home from planting some food plots with TWENTY rattlesnakes - a mother with babies. They're in his outdoor freezer right now. I guess he thinks it would make a cute exhibit - go figure.

[SLB]

Our neighbor was bitten on the hand by a little rattler when I was about 6 or 7. I remember my dad going to the hospital to see him. His arm was huge and turned almost coal black. He had been poking a little stick at the snake and asked him (the snake) if he wanted to bite him. He obviously did. We had to do his chores twice a day for almost a month.

[TXnMA]

***Very protected. Kill one of those suckers and there is hell to pay around here.***

There are some big timber rattlers here in these northeast Texas Pinet Woods. They are supposedly an Endangered Species. Nonetheless, when we meet FTF, I contend that I'm the "Endangered Species" -- and that particular buzztail is extinct!

I haven't had a rattler, copperhead or cottonmouth win an argument with my .357 or .410 shotloads yet. Anybody from PETA want to set foot on my property and complain about it?

[SLB]

Another snake story:

My dad was a farm implement dealer in Wyoming. Every summer he would hire one or two men to assemble and delier equipment. One summer he hired the local HS football coach. The coach had a huge fear of snakes which no one knew about. One of the local farmers came in one day and tossed a rubber rattle sanke near him and yelled "snake". the coach was under a chisel plow doing something. He came out from under it with a hammer in his hand and fire in his eyes. "I'm going to kill you" was all he said. My dad saw wha twas happening and took off running and caught him just in time. The farmer had no idea this huge man could be scared of snakes, but he sure was.

[2Jedismom]

Once, when I used to live by the San Bernard River near West Columbia, Tx...my little 2 year old boy was walking along and I glanced down just in time to see him nearly step on a coral snake! (He had on thick hiking boots). Well, I'm not real scared of snakes, but this one got me to hollering! LOL One of the men that worked nearby ran over, picked the snake up behind the head with a pair of pliers and dropped it in a 1 gallon milk jug!

It was his plan to make a hat band out of it.

Coral snakes have itty bitty mouths though...my son, in his heavy shoes and jeans, was pretty safe...the only danger would have been if he'd picked it up.

[Doctor Notes]

I cut the head off of a 2 1/2 foot Water Mocassin about 10 feet from the back steps yesterday. The cat was eyeballin him, but saw those pretty fangs and chickened out. My brush hook wasn't scared though! I don't think anyone in Mississippi cares if you kill a snake.

[BSunday]

The snakes may have a hard time pushing the carts out to the shoppers though.

The greeters are supposed to do that? Most of the time I see the greeters ignoring people. I just figured it was Wal-Marts own welfare program.

[BSunday]

Then again, I DO live in Norfolk. Over in Bama the gals were right friendly.

[TexasRepublic]

Poisonous snakes turn up in the most unexpected places! One morning I found a 5-foot water mocassin on the 2nd-floor balcony! He stayed put while I fetched a shovel to dispatch him , but the shovel was so dull, my intended belt and hatband got away!

[EagleMamaMT]

LOL! You owe me a new keyboard! :)

[Doctor Notes]

That was a big mocassin. They are rarely more than 30 inches. We killed one that was 6 ft near Black Creek in the late '70s. I haven't even heard of one that big since. Glad we took pictures.

[libstripper]

Rattler venom is truly powerful stuff. It doesn't just break down blood cells to kill the victim by making the blood unable to carry oxygen--it's designed and intended to digest the victim from the inside out and dissolves the tissue it contacts. All of that makes it much easier for the rattler to digest a mouse or other animal which it kills.

[LuLuLuLu]

That was information I just didn't need, thankyouverymuch. Particularly since it looks like Mr. Lu will be soon traveling to South America and has invited me to meet him for an Amazon tour. In my mind, ignornace is bliss.

I have only two snake stories. Many years ago I had a cat who would cat snakes and drop them at my feet in the kitchen.

And when my now 20 year old daughter was about 2, she found a green garden snake and brought it to me. I think I permanently scarred her psyche when I screamed, grabbed it and threw it outside, since she'd already named him Jake.

[Redpower]

Will strike if provoked.

[Cooter]

Baby rattlesnakes are not in control of the amount of venom they release. This makes their bites more dangerous than that of an adult, since they usually dump all of the venom they have into the bite.

[TheRedSoxWinThePennant]

here in florida I see rattlers all the time never bother me except for the pygmy rattlers they are hard to see and agressive I will go out of my way to kill them if they are dumb enough to take up resdience in my yard.

[Quix]

"LOWEST PRICES"

"AND, OUR FREE

ADVENTURE ZOO!"

Of course, some people would wonder if that were referring to the visitors or the staff.

[JasonC]

The snake fell to the floor, where Hatchett stomped it to death.

Obviously never heard of the adage "don't tread on me" lol.

[Grammy]

" I don't think anyone in Mississippi cares if you kill a snake."

We don't care here in Tennessee either (other than the wildlife folks). My brother from California was horrified that I killed rattlers. He said they were endangered (on my place, they sure are) and I should let them live. I can't understand why he didn't want me to send them to him!