Posted on 08/23/2005 11:43:23 AM PDT by girlangler
In Jefferson, snake bites the hand that tries to save it Wednesday, August 17, 2005 BY BILL SWAYZE Star-Ledger Staff Stephen Sodones spotted it along the edge of Route 23 in Jefferson, a snake just starting its precarious slide to the other side of the highway.
So the 62-year-old animal lover picked it up, hoping to carry it to safety. But in doing so, Sodones quickly learned one of nature's more important facts: Snakes bite.
What bit Sodones three times on the arm Monday night was a copperhead, which can grow to 4 feet and have fangs like hypodermic needles. No one is quite sure how big this one was.
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Sodones, who lives in the Newfoundland section of Jefferson, remained hospitalized last night in the intensive care unit at Chilton Memorial Hospital in Pompton Plains. His condition was listed as critical, but improving, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Sodones was given an antivenin intravenously, and is expected to be fine, said Steven Marcus, medical director at New Jersey Poison Information and Education System.
Some say Sodones could have fared much worse.
"If you had to be bit by some venomous snake, you'd want it to be a copperhead," said Joe Abene, venomous snake expert at the Bronx Zoo. "Most people do not have to go to the hospital."
Copperheads get their name from the copper-like hue of the head and are fairly common in the Jefferson area. They account for more cases of venomous snake bites than any other snakes, but their venom is the least toxic of the species, according to the Web site snakesandfrogs.com.
What prompted Sodones to pick up the snake in the first place remains a question to police, authorities said.
But to those who know Sodones, his actions made perfect sense.
A animal lover, Sodones lives alone with a white long-haired cat named "Old Cat." He likes to feed bears and stop traffic so ducks can walk across the road. Not too long ago, he tried to revive a bumblebee, keeping it in the palm of his hand with some water until it buzzed away two hours later, said John Bross, a friend and neighbor.
"One time, I stepped on a spider and he wouldn't talk to me for two days," Bross said. "Steve's got a problem with animals. He loves them too much."
Friends said Sodones routinely takes walks along Route 23, not far from his house. At about 8:30 Monday night, he spotted the reptile in the road. When he picked it up, it attacked him, police said.
At first, Sodones didn't think much about the bites. But about four hours later, when he felt woozy, Sodones called 911, police said.
By then, the snake was long gone.
"It was a good thing to do, but the wrong way to do it. I wouldn't recommend anyone touch a venomous snake unless they know what they are doing," Abene said. "What the heck was he thinking?"
Staff writer Jordan Doronila contributed to this report.
"A animal lover, Sodones lives alone with a white long-haired cat named 'Old Cat.'"
Ooooh, PeTA's NOT going to be pleased about hearing THAT -No Pets Allowed, as far as they're concerned.
"Darwin smiles on tasty activists..."
LOL!
Still, I feel a bit sorry for the old soft-head.
Posting from the office? ;)
Just because I love critters, and even some bugs and snakes, doesn't mean I'm an idiot. LOL I don't hate rattlesnakes, but I'm not going to try and pick one up. Fire ants and Africanized bees are definitely not to be messed with. duh :)
I have personally become fond of Cicadas.
Last year I remember all the news attention about how they were supposed to "emerge" from a 10-year sleep.
Last year didn't exactly hit it right.
I recently moved out in the boondocks, surrounded by trees and woods.
My first clue came when I went to my car and happened to notice the biggest damned fly I had ever seen.
With some big ugly eyes.
I thought, shucks, that is the biggest black fly I've ever seen. Wondered if maybe something wasn't dead in the nearby woods.
Then, suddenly I got a lesson in biology.
These suckers are like mini helicopters flying right at my porch lights.
I even woke up one night with one chirping in the bed right next to me.
My bird dog and cat are in hog heaven. I turn on my porch light and these big suckers come flying in and my VERY BEAUTIFUL bird dog eats them.
My cat just boxes them around and waits for the next entertainment to happen by him.
I tried to catch some the other night, and put them in a box.
I know enough about bass and bluegill to know they'd go on a feeding frenzy when these guys go screaming (they scream) and flapping around.
Shoot, I got up the next morning and they were dead.
If I could figure out how to market these bugs, I'd be rich.
Freakin Dork loves animals so much he can't even identify them. If he really loved animals so much he would know how to identify them all by sight,sound, tracks and the poop they leave behind.
Snakes are quick I'll give him that much.
You'd make a fortune selling to the fishin' people. I love to fish too! When we moved to Alaska, I asked a dumb cheechako question. I asked why I couldn't find any worms, or nightcrawlers. I used to love going out late at night, especially after a rain, with my flashlight and a bucket to catch nightcrawlers. I don't know much about Cicadas. For some reason I thought they were like grasshoppers.
Don't think I'd like one in bed with me though. I used to be terrified, and I do mean TERRIFIED, of spiders. I finally got over my irrational fear by buying a tarantula. This was years ago. My husband was concerned that I would pass on my fear to our sons. We named her, "Taco Bell". It worked. I figured if I could live with a tarantula as a pet, I could sure handle the little spiders. Now I capture spiders and put them outside.
Oh a lot more than the information that I gained from the original thread title. From the original thread title it could have been where I live, Jefferson County, Arkansas.
BTTT!!!!!!
In my wife's book, the only good snake is a fake snake. If she finds them around the yard, I have to kill them. I think they do a good job of keeping the chipmunk and vole population down.
I think we can do even better (although by now no one will care!)...
The article gives this location:
lives in the Newfoundland section of Jefferson
So, mucking around in one of the online map thingies gets you this:
And if you're really curious, if you navigate on this map and follow Rt. 23 to the northwest being careful to obsrve all its myriad twists and turns, you will eventually come (after noting such places of interest as Stockholm, Frankiin, Hamburg, Sussex, and Colesville) to High Point State Park, and the notation that High Point is 1803 feet in elevation... That is the highest point in the state of New Jersey, which bit of information might win you some trivia contest someday... And for our subject animal loving snake hugger, there are a LOT of black bear to pet and copperheads to hug in the park...
Thus ends the "Mapblast overview of obscure spots in NJ" tour ;-)
(Suffering from "information that you didn't really want" overkil, eh?!)
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