A coastal carpet python attacked a man that sliced through his artery and multiple nerves in his arm.
He described the biting incident as "beyond the imagined capabilities" of the python.
Kane Durrant, a snake catcher and a wildlife conservationist at WILD Conservation in New South Wales, Australia, was bitten by the coastal carpet python as Kane released it into the bush after a road rescue. The non-venomous python sank its teeth into his wrist, leaving him with two large gashes on either part of his arm.
Durrant told Newsweek, "it felt like a knife tearing out my wrist and the severed nerve a burning hot sensation," he also explained how the blood spurted nearly six foot from his artery and described it as a pretty confronting situation.
Python's Defense Mechanism
Carpet pythons can be found throughout Papua New Guinea and Australia. It can grow between 6.6 and 13.1 feet long. These pythons are commonly kept as pets since they are not poisonous and rarely bite unless provoked.
However, carpet pythons can cause large damage if they do bite. They have 80 backward-facing teeth that are used to prevent prey from escaping, causing tearing lacerations as it hooks into the flesh.
Durrant remembers when the snake was removed from his arm and released into the wild before putting first aid to himself.
Durrant posted on his Instagram the bite left him by the python. He said in the caption that his injuries are "beyond the imagined capabilities of the species."
His injuries required emergency operations to be fixed.
He also shared photos of his gruesome injuries on Facebook and a video sharing his experience and recovery journey. The scars are still visible even a year after the attack.
Wrist stitches resulted from the python's bite
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Durrant's Recovery
Today, Durrant still doesn't feel the full healing of his wrist. He has visible scarring on his wrist where the biting occurred. He then told the recovery process, said it was reasonably fast and defied his expectations. It took 48 hours later, with the aid of a cast and hand sling, for him to be at work again after the incident. He shared that when the rehabilitation period of physio and rest started, he could still feel some lasting nerve pain-like needles.
World Health Organization (WHO) data states that around 5.4 million snake bites globally every year, about 3,000 of which belong to Australia.
In his Facebook post, Durrant wrote that there's some lasting internal damage around his radial nerve and artery, but that will not hinder him from continuing his passion and advocacy for wildlife conservation through the ongoing projects of Wild Conservation.
According to Medical News Today, despite not having venom, the bites from non-venomous snakes, such as carpet pythons, can lead to skin infections, necrosis, or skin tissue death if left untreated.
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