Man in intensive care after tiger snake bite

Updated November 2 2012 - 11:08am, first published January 28 2009 - 12:49pm

A MAN is in intensive care in Ballarat after being bitten by a tiger snake north west of Skipton.The 26-year-old man was bitten on the toe in Yally-Y-Poora as he returned home late on Tuesday night.Ballarat Health Services media officer Luke Mullane said the man was in intensive care in a serious but stable condition.He said the man was lucky as he realised he had been bitten by a snake."So he was able to treat himself with the appropriate first aid measures, which was to put a bandage around the bite," he said."He then sat and waited for the ambulance to arrive to bring him to hospital."Mr Mullane said the man was given anti-venom when he arrived in Ballarat shortly after midnight.An Ambulance Victoria spokesperson said the man was bitten in bushland in Mt William Rd.She said he was treated at the scene before being taken to hospital.The incident comes after an 11-year-old girl was bitten by a tiger snake at Lethbridge on Monday.The girl was bitten on the finger while feeding her horse on Monday evening. She was treated in hospital but is recovering.Ballarat Wildlife Park owner and snake expert Greg Parker said the hot weather would see tiger snakes out at night and early in the morning."Contrary to popular belief, reptiles don't like really hot temperatures," he said."Snakes like to be nocturnal, they like to be active at night but in Ballarat and southern Australia, the night time temperatures don't allow them to be active all that often."When you get warm nights and very hot days like we are having now, snakes avoid the heat and start coming out hunting at night."

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