Nathan Chetcuti, 19, was bit as he tried to put the snake back into its enclosure.
A reptile enthusiast from Australia is fighting for his life after being bitten by his inland Taipan snake (Oxyuranus microlepidotus) November 6 in Queensland, Australia.
Nathan Chetcuti, 19, was bitten by the snake as he was trying to place the venomous snake into its enclosure, according to the West Australian. His father was with him at the time and immediately called emergency services and he was taken to Redcliffe Hospital in Brisbane.
Chetcuti is apparently no stranger to reptiles. He has a fairly extensive collection of snakes and lizards, and his Facebook page has photos of him handling both venomous and non-venomous snakes, as well as lizards and other herps.
Chetcuti also has quite the reptile room which you can see in a YouTube video posted last month by Australian Pythons And Other Reptiles.
The inland Taipan snake is considered to be one of the most venomous snakes in the world based on median lethal dose value in mice. It is said that a single drop of the snake’s venom can kill 45 adult men, yet there isn’t a confirmed killing of a human by the reptile.
Let’s hope that Chetcuti makes a full recovery from this bite.
