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.
Tell me about it. I used to live in Woodville Texas and we killed about six copperheads in our yard there.
One event bit my cat.
Got one here for ya Taz...
A real whacko!
Ms.B
What a complete total idiot.
First, apparently he knows nothing about identifying anaked, just picks one up!
Our "friendly reptile" defends itself, probly hitting moron several times.
Then to cap it all off, genius waits 4 hours before he seeks medical attention.
Unbelievable
Thank You!
There's a Jefferson parish in Louisiana. Might have been down here (good place for snakes).
Do you know that it is actually illegal to kill a rattlesnake or copperhead in Tennessee?
It is, they are on the threatened species list. However, this is rarely enforced.
A few years ago I was working as an editor of an outdoor magazine and I received a news release from the state wildlife agency. There was a blurb about this guy they had busted for poaching bears in the Cherokee National Forest and, as part of the investigation they raided his freezer at his house and found more than 100 poisonous snakes in it.
So they got him for that too.
When I got the release I just couldn't figure out why anyone would want frozen snakes so I called the TWRA and asked.
"Oh he's one of those good religious guys," said the officer. "You know, one of those snake-handling preachers."
See we have some hillbillys here in Tennessee that handle snakes during their church services. Most of them have a short lifespan and it helps to clean up the gene pool in these parts.
Can you imagine this guy dancing around the church with his FROZEN snakes?
Watch it mister. I take offense to any one that would harm my Red Tailed Boa.
Sometimes I wish posters would give a little more information in their thread titles.
"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."
I can just see it, one day his neighbors will come across a bear feeding on his bee-stung and bloated carcass in the road where he was hit after trying to stop traffic for some ducks.
"Probably a spy for Enron."
NAH -- James Carville's right-wing brother!
No, I think this idiot actually feeds bears.
Oh, man, I saw this Ahole trying to get us to slow for Canadian Geese once. They were a good ways off the road but he was signaling for us to slow down. I whizzed by and should have given him the finger.
I have issues with anyone who feeds the damn bears. I catch 'em they're going to court and paying big fines. One "Weekend only" neighbor used to put food out Sunday Night before he left. We were thick with bears that summer. He was convicted 3 times. I wish he'd have been locked up for a good bit to set the measure home.
The snake or my daughters...hhhmmmm.
I didn't know Tennessee had a law against killing these snakes. I don't think Georgia does.
I take offense to any one that would harm my Red Tailed Boa.
Is that the one that you wouldn't loan me to wear to the "'04 Tranny Awards"? I'd run that over too.
Owl_Eagle
(If what I just wrote makes you sad or angry,
When we lived in the Georgia country, my husband and I came across a carload of folks in a car with the front tires on one side of a huge snake and the back tires on the other side. They were afraid to run all the way over the snake for fear it would bite a hole in their tires. They had all the windows rolled up - and , mind you, it was 100 degrees outside.
Poor folks.
Now one knows why fifth column democrats are called copperheads. They always bite the hands of those who would help them.
Of course the guy was an idjit, every good ole redneck knows you stomp a copperhead's bloody head off before picking them up.
I bet he was confused for a bit as well. I mean he was TRYING TO HELP the snake, how could it hurt him? All you have to do is hug the monsters and find out they really only have a thorn in their paw, they aren't really dangerous. We just need to UNDERSTAND them. Right?
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