Poisonous work

Speciality zmeelova not get in any high school. People learn themselves, adopting the experience of others and getting your practice. Zmeelovu need to understand the psychology of subtle serpent, know all their habits, natural features, habitats. With one of these experts managed to walk across the steppes of southern Kazakhstan our photo correspondent Konstantin Khilko







Catch creeping reptiles, it was decided to Shardary district of South Kazakhstan region. There, on the border with Uzbekistan, you can still meet the representatives of the suborder of reptiles, which are so interested in our zmeelovu. It is on the southwest side of Chardara reservoir, about 15 km from the small village of Bazar-Ak-Tube, we started searching for poisonous snakes as the material for the production of biologically active substances



Meet Alexander - serpentolog and snake catcher with 15 years of experience. He is interested in Central Asian cobra and viper. Officially, the two samples of the family of venomous snakes are not listed in the register of the reptilian fauna of Kazakhstan. However, this list has long lost its relevance because of the old age, he was drawn back in the 70s of the last century. And now, we can not say that these snakes are not found



Viper inhabits dry foothills and mountain slopes covered with shrubs, in rocky gorges with springs, river valleys and cliffs on the banks of canals



Sometimes viper gather the whole group. Often there were cases when under one small stone found 10 snakes just



Here she viper - the largest representative of the family of viper in our fauna. It can be up to about 2 meters in length and weigh up to 3 kg. The adult feeds on small animals like field mice, lizards less often, sometimes not disdained other small snakes



Having found a snake, Alexandr approaches carefully and slowly removes her head to the side



Without making any sudden movements, snake catcher presses the head viper special tools, so-called "hook", and gently takes her just below the head



Since this is one of the most dangerous snakes for pets and humans, Alexander has to be extremely careful. In an emergency, it is able to make shots in the direction of the enemy

After the snake was firmly fixed in his hand, a snake catcher puts the trophy in the ordinary linen bag



Planting in the bag requires a certain skill and action sequences. Snake kept one hand on his head, while the second opens the bag. It lowered its tail down. When the snake's head aligned with the edge of the bag, the animal quickly thrown to the bottom



It remains only to tighten the neck. By the way, put in a small bag of snakes is sometimes more difficult than large



A couple of hours of wandering, we smiled a great success: we stumbled upon the queen snake - cobra. Or rather - the Central Asian cobra. This is a rather large snake whose length reaches an average of 1, 6 - 1, 8 meters. Of the 10 species of cobras, Central Asian cobra - the only one that can be found on the territory of the CIS



Typical threatening posture cobra - an innate element that is transmitted at the genetic level. Even newly hatched snakes vertically lift the front part of the body and extend the neck at the slightest danger. If such a threatening posture is not enough, it can cause false cobra bite - it hits the enemy head on, while not opening his mouth, protecting thus your teeth from damage



Because of this behavior in nature is extremely rare to undergo a bite from a cobra. Generally most poisonous snakes before you attack the enemy in the face of a person or animal is not part of her diet is any typical for this type of methods to prevent the enemy. Whether it's just a loud hiss, Kobrin desk with a hood or twitching tail that has a horn on a beanbag.



Habitat her similar to the viper, common in the mountains at an altitude of 1500 meters above sea level. It prefers hilly terrain with lots of hiding places. The main diet of Cobra comprise amphibians, reptiles, rodents and small birds



The very manner of the Central Asian cobra bite at quite peculiar. If viper causes instant stab of his long teeth and the next moment throws back his head, then cobra, whose teeth at times shorter than most does not expect a lightning shot. Usually it seizes its prey, and not only does not lean back once, but several times with a force compresses the jaw, as if "goes through" them to have certainly sink your teeth and inject the required amount of poison



The venom of this snake is very strong - in addition to the paralysis of nerves, he also destroys the blood. It has neurotoxic effects, causing convulsions, respiratory paralysis. However, deaths are recorded infrequently due to preventive actions of the Central Asian cobra



Before the operation, Alexander pereobulsya, replaced light running shoes to combat boots with high bertsami. Safety first



Zmeelovov is becoming less and less, because the person working with venomous snakes every day exposed to mortal danger



It is in these places snakes are hiding from the unbearable heat when the sun is at its zenith



Manipulating a hook, an experienced catcher can catch almost any snake. Hook it presses the head of the snake for fixation and subsequent capture by hand and can lift a snake lying on the ground and move it to a more suitable surface



Caught snakes in bags deliver the car. Here Alexander transplant them from sacks into special transport containers and crates have the luck in Serpentarium. The day he was able to catch two viper and a cobra



Before you put the snake in a designated place for it, it needs to be more carefully put out of the bag again and carefully manage to catch. From the first time I am usually unable to press cobra head towards the floor. Snake and then tries to bite. Alexander skillfully evades her attacks, one hand holding the body of quirky, and the other locking her head



In serpentarium snakes placed in their original terrariums



Tools that help when working with snakes (from left to right): - hook - "hvatalka" - the playful name of Alexander. Designed to remove snakes from trees or bushes - forceps - a surgical instrument for grasping and supply of sterile instruments and dressings. It is used for catching small snakes. Vipers, for example, just grab the neck and carry the bag. As an auxiliary tool of forceps used when fishing ephah, cottonmouth or medium-sized viper. In these cases, the animals are pressed to the ground leg and clamp the tweezers head, making it impossible to bite - fixation bracket, which is used in the laboratory



The hook is also used in the laboratory. They are convenient to carry snakes for a short distance. For example, in the capture of biologically active substances



After trapping occurs so-called "milking" when the snake venom is taken and then released back into the wild



Poisonous snake easily distinguished by the head wider than the trunk



Powerful and muscular body of a large instance is not so easy to hold in your hand. Gurza, trying to free his head, makes sharp and strong spurts. Sometimes she even manages to bite a catcher. On personal experience convinced Sasha resourcefulness of these creatures. This is where I can help and fixation strap



Viper venom has a pronounced hemolytic activity and toxicity is second only to cobra venom. When the bite of this snake venom enters 50 mg, and without timely and proper treatment are cases of death. The poison produced by mechanically "milking" - massage venom glands. After it is used for antidotal serum and, more importantly, for the manufacture of various medicines. According to its special properties viper venom poisons exceeds most viper snakes



The Serpentarium poison snakes collected once in 2-3 weeks. From small snakes receive 20-40 mg of venom (dry or even say crystal weight), from large - at 50-300 mg per yadovzyatie (eg 300 mg - from viper, 194 - from Cobra, 137 - from copperhead snake 50 - from ephah)



When a snake bite, in any case can not apply a tourniquet! Firstly, it does not prevent the penetration of the poison into the overlying tissue, and secondly, the wiring, especially bites viper and viper, pinch blood vessels, helps to further disruption of metabolism in tissues of the affected limb. As a result of enhanced processes of necrosis and decay, which is fraught with serious complications. Cauterization of the bite is inefficient because the length of the snake's fangs sometimes reaches more than a centimeter. Poison penetrates deep into the tissue, and cauterizing the surface is not able to destroy it. And on the spot cautery eschar is formed, under which begins fester. Remember the main thing - the person after a snake bite should be as fast as possible to deliver in hospital, even if it seems that the danger was past



Source: yvi.kz

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