Snake Education

[Roger]

As you may or may not know, I am a First Aid Instructor and will be teaching that subject to the volunteers of SINAPROC after the holidays. If you have some expertise, particularly regarding snakes and other poisonous animals in regards to first aid treatment, please contact me.
I welcome all help and encourage you to contribute to the local community in whatever way you can.

[Pederhaney]

Roger: I think you must mean Mae Lewis or Chiriqui Hospital. Obaldia is the pediatric/maternity hospital. 20 minutes to any of them would be a miracle in itself.

We had one of the coffee pickers on our finca bitten in the last month - car to bomberos to hospital for antivenin. Took over 90 minutes from bite to successful treatment.
Thank you for your hydrogen peroxide tip.

We have had a hog nosed viper appear also. I believe the global warming issue is causing more activity in our area (we're at about 5,000 ft) since the venomous snakes on this finca have not been observed until the last 2 years.

There is antivenin in David, but I do not know if the supply covers all the species that are in the area.

One of the good dissertations is "Venomous Snakes of Panama". See: www.czbrats.com/Facts/snakes.htm

[Paul Saban]

A Hognosed - wish you had called me Wendy!!!

One other point while we are all talking about speed. KNOW YOUR SNAKE. Take a minute to recognize what actually bit you. Try and get a quick digital photo if possible. Recognition is half the battle as different snakes require different antidotes. Many non poisonous snakes will also strike including the Debris, Vine and Tiger Rat Snakes to mention just 3. Coral snakes are fairly passive and do not generally pose a problem. We recently found a type of coral (possibly) that is not in any of the books. It was in Panamonte estate so look out for a brown and white checkerboard and dont kill it - call me please. 6615 6618

[Pederhaney]

Paul: Sorry to get you over-enthused, but I was incorrect - not a hog-nosed viper!! I went back thru my notes that I took when we were trying to classify the reptile and found it was in fact Blunt-Headed Tree Snake (Imantodes cenchoa). It was found on a shelf in the laundry room and subsequently released back into the forested area alongside our river. There is a really good picture of it here: http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/jd/jdweb/Herps/species/Forsnake/Imacen.htm. Second and third photos look exactly like the one who found us.......

[sunshine]

Paul, apologies for taking a couple of days to reply.

Thanks for the comforting words re the chances of meeting or getting bitten by a snake. Wow, you were bitten in England.....I didn't even realise there were snakes in these islands (I am in Ireland). The only stingers we have here, are bees and wasps.....and nettles! Admittedly these past ten years, even the one or two wasps and bees I'd see each summer, are now long since gone. I think global warming and man's abuse of the environment in general, is killing off most animals and insects.

I do hear conflicting reports. I have heard two friends in Coronado tell me of snakes there (one has twice had to deal with snakes in his yard....the other had a friend who was confronted by a snake while walking down the street). Another person I know, a Panamanian, says snakes are not an issue, unless you are in a rainforest. I don't know what the reality is! :)

[Roger]

The reality is: if you're hiking in the wild, you stand a good chance of being observed by a snake. If you're in a city/suburbs, you're remotely at risk of being observed, so when you see one yourself it's big news! Paul and Peder are correct: Most people are afraid of snakes and there is much hype about them. The reality is it's rare to see one, let alone have an encounter with one. I've been here over 2 years and have seen only a few, primarily when my worker was digging for a foundation. My advice: Don't sweat it! It's by far the least of your concerns.

[sunshine]

Roger, thanks for the heads-up. It sounds like the lizards have us under constant supervision! Not that I am paranoid or nuthin! :) I'll be staying at an overgrown finca, thus I expect I'll be having some viper company.

If snakes are the least of our worries; are there other issues that are more worrisome there?

I love gardening, but am worried when i go there, to even put my hand on a tree or shrub!

[Roger]

Where will you be staying - in Boquete? The key, I think, is to stay alert and wear gardening gloves. Also use tools whenever you can instead of digging with your hands. I'll let others who do their own gardening respond better about any 'dangers' they may have encountered. And no, life is pretty tranquil and friendly here if you're friendly too. This is about as close to paradise as I've encountered or researched because it has the 'old world' friendliness, respect and values with some very good infrastructure and support, Panamanian and extranjero.

One word of advice: wear plenty of deet bug repellent. There are many crawling and flying bugs that bite and cause quite extensive itching, so all exposed skin should be protected. The Panamanians wear long pants and often long sleeve shirts. Also, if you're out in the sun, wear a hat and sun block.

[Roger]

The weather is relative: I come from Michigan in the US. Sometimes it gets a little chilly here at night requiring a sweater or light jacket - however many Panamanians wear heavy coats and parkas!

Don't let us scare you too much. Ask the locals there and I'm sure you will be OK with bare hands. The key is to observe the locals and dress accordingly. They have good reason to dress that way. Also remember, we're 9 degrees from the equator, so the sun is very hot and direct here, so one 'burns' quickly. I'd suggest you buy a wide-brimmed hat here and wear it when you're outside.

I'd also suggest you stay a week or 2 in various places so you get a flavor and appreciation of each place. For instance, Boquete has 5 distinct, separate micro-climates.