Volunteers that went down to the Gulf Coast to help clean up oil from beaches, marshes, and animals may be in for more than they bargained for.
I would be willing to bet that most people who are volunteering to go down south are picturing themselves finding a strugling pelican rushing it to a cleaning facility & saving it. Maybe they picture a cute sea turtle smiling up at them as they rub mayonnaise on its skin to remove the oil. Yes, those are sweet thought and could very well be how their trip goes. What they may not have pictured is a trip to the hospital with a snake bite.
The marsh areas down south have snakes and not the kind that just make you scream “EEEEEK”. No they have some real bad boys that live down there. We are talking about 3 kinds of rattle snakes, copperheads, water moccasins, and coral snakes. These are not animals to mess with. Anyone bitten by one of these snakes is going to need immediate medical attention and anti venom.
Oh, that is where there could be a problem…most hospitals do not have much anti venom on hand. I’m sure they will do their best to get treatments moved to hospitals closest to any victims. In fact hospitals can’t even get anti venom for coral snakes anymore (The FDA has none approved that are being marketed).
I would suggest that anyone down that way take extra caution to not get bit. I know there are going to be some people that may not even know what any of these snakes look like or what to do if you see one or get bit. I think they are probably training people for snakes if they are going into the marsh (or I hope so).
You can read the article that I found about the dangers of snakes to workers while looking for animal news at New threat to oil spill workers? Deadly snakes
If you are still interested in finding ways to help animals see,Helping Gulf Coast Oil Spill Clean Up for Animals