Black Mamba anti-venom

[rone]

Hi guys,

I visit a private game farm in the Bela Bela area fairly frequently. I have encountered a black mamba twice and I know that the owners have probably had 5 to 6 encounters in the 8 years that they've owned the place. My encounters were not life threatening in any way - once it was a juvenile on the porch of one of the houses and once it was an adult crossing the road.

I know that this frequency is not very high but considering the danger posed by a mamba to visitors that are hunting, hiking, etc., I wonder if the farm should not be keeping anti-venom on the property.

What is your take on this? And if they were to do it, how would you advise they go about being trained on how to store it and administer it?

I have discussed it with someone before (I think also a farm owner) who, at the time, said that the anti-venom was very difficult to store with a short shelf life, hence it would not have been financially viable.

[Sico]

Stored in a fridge it has a shelf life of at least two years. The cost is high (+- R1000.00/amp) and you would need to keep at least 5-6 amps on site, which you would likely never use and just replace when they expire. There are some potentially lethal side effects that can arise after the administration of antivenom, and if you are not near appropriate medical care, these will kill you way faster than a bite would. I'd suggest find out from the nearest local medical facility whether they keep stock (most do in those parts of the country) and what type of on site services they have, Otherwise, your nearest fairly decent hospital is Montana Pvt, find out if they have antivenom stores, get their emergency phone numbers, and if you have an incident put them on standby whilst you are still mobile to the hospital so they are prepared before your arrival.

[Chopper 1]

Not advisable to administer the stuff unless you know what you are doing and the victim's life is in danger. There is a hospital, actually 2 in Bela bela - one which has a respirator.

[Bushviper]

Far better idea is to go on a snake bite course that includes practical first aid and has a first aid component where specialised equipment is discussed and explained. I also supply a fist aid kit designed specifically to treat all snake bites in South Africa right up to but not including antivenom introduction into the patient. These courses are advertised on this forum from time to time. The next one will be in February next year.