Bali Reptile Rescue: Bali venomous [poisonous] snakes and the only bite treatment that works

Nearly 41 species of snakes live in Bali, yet only 6 snakes in Bali can be potentially dangerous to humans

Most important thing to remember is that over 80% of snake bite deaths are caused by humans trying to catch or kill a snake

What you see on tv or Utube is not reality. TV needs good ratings to survive and to get good rating snakes must appear to be deadly creatures. When given the opportunity snakes would much rather just vanish to a safe place than bite

Please remember this sentence. “There is no reason to die of snakebite”

I will now describe in easy to understand language what happens on the rare occasions someone is bitten

Venom travels through the tiny vessels just under the surface of the skin. With most Bali venomous snakes this venom attacks the cardio vascular system [heart and lungs] and stops them working.

The most important action of the first aid is to slow the speed of the venom through the human body so that the body can start breaking down the venom

1] Reassurance. People have been known to nearly die from non venomous snake bites because fear of the unknown sent them into shock. You need the patient to become as calm and as relaxed as possible. So reassurance is vitally important.

Saying ‘OH MY GOD. A snake bit you and you will die an agonizing death” is not reassuring. Saying “Its ok buddy. Probably non venomous anyway, and even if it was venomous it probably didn’t bother using venom, and you are going to be fine” is reassuring

2] Immobilize the limb that was bitten to slow the speed of blood through that limb and keep the bite below the level of the heart. Splints are best and can be made out of anything such as a piece of bamboo. But hand and finger bites can be immobilized simply by tucking them under a shirt or t shirt or into a sling. In every case except when you are absolutely positive the bite was from a Pit Viper, all that is needed is an elastic bandage to really slow the speed of venom through the body. Every home in Asia should keep one of these in a handy place. This compares to bandaging a sprained wrist or ankle. It is NOT a tourniquet to cut off blood supply. Start about 1inch or 25milimetres above the bite and start wrapping the limb in bandage as far up the limb as the bandage will reach. Bandage should not be either tight or loose. It should be comfortably tight. You can easily check the tightness by squeezing a nail on the limb. The nail white should return to pink when the nail is released, Pit Viper bites should be immobilized without a bandage applied, but only if you are 100% certain it was a Pit Viper. If there is any doubt at all use the bandage

3] Hospital. Get the patient to hospital as quickly as you can and ring the hospital to let them know what happened. During this time keep reassuring the patient that everything will be ok. Also watch them carefully for changes such as gasping for breath etc. Venom can stop the patient breathing so be prepared if the trip is a long one.

4] Tell the hospital staff exactly what happened and of any noticeable changes in the patient since the bite happened In most cases hospitals don’t even use anti venon. They observe the patient and let the human body break down any venom by itself

These are the ONLY hospitals in Bali which always carry a supply of anti venon

Sanglah Hospital Jalan Diponegoro Denpasar +62 361 227911

Negara Hospital Jalan Gelar Negara +62 365 41006

So remember these; REASSURE THE PATIENT; IMMOBILIZE THE LIMB; HOSPITAL; TALK TO DOCTOR

Important note. Spitting cobras can spit venom very accurately at your eyes over a distance of 2 metres. Venom in the eyes will not kill you; but it can blind you if not washed out fairly quickly. Mild saline solution is best but basically any water will work. Wash your eyes 10 times and then wash them again and again until no trace of pain is left. Then rinse them again Do the same thing for any cats or dogs that have decided a cobra is an easy meal

Don't try to catch or kill the snake

Don't give alcohol

Don't try to suck out the venom

Don't ever use a tourniquet Don't panic

Traditional remedies do not and cannot work on snake bite.

The only reasons they appear to work are simple to explain.

Most snake bites are either from non venomous snakes or are what are called ‘dry’ bites; which means no venom, or else a miniscule amount of venom was injected by the snake. When a patient uses traditional methods they seem to work in those cases because there was nothing to cure and the patient would have survived anyway

Bali Venomous Snakes

King cobra [Ophiophagus hannah or ular raja]. Longest venomous snake on Earth Never seen one in Bali over 4,7 metres but that is still a big snake. Rarely seen anywhere in Bali anymore, Only confirmed recent sightings are from around Negara in West Bali and north from there Large powerful snakes that will defend themselves and their nests strongly. Usually found underground in holes or crevices in rocks, or deep inside clumps of bamboo Please report any sightings of these to Bali Reptile Rescue 0821 4638 0270 as we are keeping an eye on a couple and are very interested in their travels

Spitting cobra [Naja sputatrix or ular sendok or lipi woh] up to 1.5 metre in Bali. Found all over Bali including Kuta Seminyak Sanur Lovina Ubud and Amed areas. They do not need to put up their hoods to bite or spit. Usually live underground in rat holes, drain pipes or under concrete slabs . They are a lot more common than most people realise and co-exist with humans in many areas without the people even knowing they are there Most common colour is dull brown but can vary from cream through to nearly black

Important note. These cobras can spit venom very accurately at your eyes over a distance of 2 metres. Venom in the eyes will not kill you; but it can blind you if not washed out fairly quickly. Mild saline solution is best but basically any water will work. Wash your eyes 10 times and then wash them again and again until no trace of pain is left. Then rinse them again Do the same thing for any cats or dogs that have decided a cobra is an easy meal

Banded krait, [Bungarus candidus or ular weling or lipi poleng] around 1 metre is maximum size in Bali Very dangerous snake for 3 reasons

1; It does not look dangerous
2; Although it is usually pictured as black with white bands it also comes in a pure black colour
3; Its bite can take up to 12 hours before showing any effects

As far as I can find out the black coloured banded krait is only common in Bali. We have found them from Cangu to Ubud and Sukawati and everywhere in between Usually found in or near water and rarely seen above ground level

White lipped green island pit viper; [Trimersurus albolabris insularis or lipi gadang or ular hijau ekor mira] Rarely reaches 1 metre in Bali. Relatively common all over Bali. Usually seen in trees or bushes and bamboo, but often hide at ground level during the day or on bright moon nights. During wet season often visit houses or out buildings. These snakes are never reluctant to bite if approached Contrary to what all the stories say, their bite is unlikely to kill a healthy human. They can make you sick and sometimes the venom causes creeping necrosis [rotting flesh] around the bite area, But the bite will not kill you in normal circumstances

Coral snake; [Calliophis intestinalis or ular cabe] 50cm seems maximum size Under belly is usually white with black striping. Very rare in Bali, highly venomous but rarely bites. These also live underground but little is known about them in

Bali Sea snakes. Various species or lipi laut. Over 3 metres maximum size Although these snakes are usually reluctant to bite they will only take so much handling, so please just look at them instead of annoying them. Two recent bites were from people copying what they had seen on tv shows. Very luckily both these bites were dry. All sea snakes can bite humans. It is a myth that they cannot bite

If you have any questions or worries about snakes, or want any unwelcome visitors relocated safely call us

We are available at any time of the day or night

please call balireptilerescue 0821 4638 0270