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PAGE 2A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. MAY 28. 2020
Snakes are out
- but which ones are poisonous?
How deadly are venomous
snakes?
Both my editor and I were
surprised to learn that of the
10,000 estimated venomous
snake bites each year in the
United States, only around 10
result in death, or 1 in 500 of
those bitten. It occurred to us
we couldn’t recall any snake
bite fatalities locally (or any
where for that matter) and
knew only a couple people
who have been bitten.
“At least 20 percent of the
U.S. population suffers some
degree of snake fear,” The
Ga. DNR states in its snake
information and resources
guide. “Regardless of the
cause, extreme fear is unnec
essary. Snakes are not under
every rock or behind every
tree; encounters are relatively
infrequent. Typically, the
more people learn about
snakes, the less they fear
them.”
The DNR also cautions
that killing a non-venomous
snake is illegal in Georgia.
Keener advises to leave
venomous snakes alone un
less they are in areas like
campgrounds, schools, or
Snake FAQs:
The following is taken from the Georgia Department
of Natural Resources online snake resources.
•Venomous snakes of Georgia pose little threat to humans
who leave them alone. •Lightning kills many more people
every year than snakes do.
•The probability of dying in a car accident far exceeds the
chance of dying from a venomous snake bite.
•As many as half of all bites by venomous snakes are mild
or ‘‘dry’’ bites in which little or no venom injected.
•Killing non-venomous snakes is illegal in Georgia. Ven
omous snakes, although beneficial, are not protected since
they may pose a threat to humans.
In case of a snakebite:
•If the snake is non-venomous, simply wash the affected
area with soap and water. If the snake is venomous, follow
these “Do’s" and notice these “Don’ts”...
• DO stay calm! Keep the bitten area below heart level,
and remove rings, watches, and tight clothing. Try to iden
tify the offending snake if you can do so easily, without put
ting yourself at risk or wasting valuable time.
•DO get to the nearest hospital or emergency medical fa
cility immediately, even if you suspect a dry bite. The uni
versal treatment for a serious snakebite is the use of
antivenin or snakebite serum, which should only be admin
istered by a medical doctor. If local doctors aren’t sure
which antivenin to use, advise them to contact the Ameri
can Association of Poison Control Centers (1-800-222-
1222).
•DON’T eat or drink anything, including alcoholic bever
ages or medicines.
•DON’T run or engage in strenuous activity.
•DON’T cut into or incise bite marks with a blade.
•DON’T apply a tourniquet after a pit viper bite (although
it may be helpful after an elapid bite).
•DON’T use a stun gun or other electrical shock.
•DON’T freeze or apply extreme cold to the area
ported an increase in snake
bites over the years with
2016 being the highest at 466
snakebite calls. Of those, 20
percent were treated with an
tidote, most for copperhead
bites.
The Georgia Poison Cen
ter said despite the low num
ber of fatalities, venomous
snakebites can cause other
medical complications. A
Progress coworker’s mother
was bitten by a timber rattler
and survived, but not without
her leg turning black from
heel to above the knee and
swelling, and numerous
doses of antivenom that he
said gave her diabetes.
Keener added that it’s im
portant to remember that if a
person is bitten by what they
believe to be a venomous
snake, they must kill and de
capitate it so there can be ap
propriate identification
before the hospital will ad
minister an antibody. Do not
bring a live snake or non-de-
capitated snake to the hospi
tal.
“Most people just aren’t
able to properly ID a snake,”
he said, noting that an
tivenom is made from the
venom of each specific snake
and will not be effective -
and could cause harm - if
used for the wrong bite.
Top, Water moccasin, aka
Cottonmouth; middle, Dia-
mondback Rattlesnake.
Elect Daniel Reeves for
Tax Commissioner
dreevesfortc@gmail.com
Copperhead
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
For some people the only
good snake is a dead snake -
but not all are venomous like
the copperhead, one of six
poisonous snakes in the state
according to the Georgia De
partment of Natural Re
sources.
For one of my family
members, there are plenty of
“good snakes” and it upsets
her when she sees posts on
social media about people
killing the ones that keep ro
dents and other vermin at
bay.
“People post those photos
and I’m like, that’s not a cop
perhead! Copperheads have
the Flershey Kiss pattern.”
she said. “That snake was a
good guy.”
Georgia has 46 native
snakes, which makes it the
most biodiverse state for
snakes in the country. Of
those, the copperhead, the
pygmy rattlesnake, timber
rattlesnake, cottonmouth
(water moccasin), eastern
diamondback rattlesnake,
and the eastern coral snake
are venomous. In Pickens
County, the copperhead, tim
ber rattler, and pygmy rattler
are the only native venomous
snakes, according to the state
agency’s information - but
Sgt. James Keener, Field Su
pervisor for Pickens and five
nearby counties, said he’s not
aware of a pygmy rattler ever
being seen here. He is also
not aware of cottonmouths
(water moccasins) in this area
- which many people dis
agree with.
“In fact, I documented the
most northernmost cotton
mouth, in Rome (in 2004),”
he said. “It’s just too cold.
They are more for middle
Georgia and the Macon
area.”
“People contuse them
with the water snake. Not to
say you can’t come across
one that maybe was captured
or relocated, or came up on a
hay truck or something, we
just don’t have that habitat to
support them,” he said.
Because they are cold
blooded animals, Keener said
Timber Rattlesnake, aka Canebrake
snakes move around more
with changing weather, from
cold to warm or warm to
cold. In the fall, around mid-
September, they move to
align themselves with heat
sources like rocks, pavement,
or asphalt to raise their body
temperature. During spring
and summer they are more
active because of warmer
temperatures.
Pygmy Rattlesnake
places where they pose a dan
ger. In those instances he ad
vises they be killed. He
commented on the benefits
most snakes bring to their
habitat.
“Most snakes are good
about helping do away with
rats and lizards, and the king
snake has been known to at
tack and consume rat
tlesnakes and copperheads,”
he said
Bites do happen
Despite the relatively low
chance of being bitten, peo
ple do need to be cautious -
the Georgia Poison Center re
Family Oriented
Some of What to Expect in 2021
BUDGET
• Schedule Bi-Monthly meetings for all elected officials to work on Budget needs throughout the year
• Make Budget Amendments and Transfers the Exception, not the norm
• Work with all Department Heads and Elected Officials to reduce spending by at least 2.5%
TRANSPARENCY
• Schedule Quarterly Town Hall Meetings to listen to citizen concerns
• Post all commonly requested Open Records online to make them readily available
PARKS & RECREATION
• Repair and Pave existing walking paths
• Light up our existing ball fields
• Form parent advisory group to determine why our kids are playing sports in other Counties and fix it
STRATEGIC PLANNING
• Take our existing 10-year comprehensive plan and develop strategic steps to implement it
ANIMAL SHELTER
• Immediately move to a No Kill policy (unless deemed medically necessary)
Paid for by Candidate
PO Box 121* Jasper, Ga 30143 • info@krisstancil.com • 404.536.5035