Know Your Odds of Survival
First things first, it’s crucial that you know exactly what you’re up against.
While there are approximately 94,000-125,000 snakebite deaths each year around the world, according to the World Health Organization (that’s a whole lotta of deaths), your odds of survival are actually quite high, especially with the proper treatment.
Each year in the US, an average of 8,000 venomous snakebites are reported and only 0.2% of victims die as a result. This is due in large part because of the use of effective antivenins and good first aid practices.
A second reason is that these snakes use their venom to immobilize prey, not simply to kill larger non-prey species. Thus, the severity of a bite can range from dry to deadly (more on this topic on page 2).
However, just because you survive a snakebite, that doesn’t mean you (or your buddy) won’t suffer significant long-term effects.
Many of these effects can be minimized or compounded by what you do immediately after the bite takes place.
These procedures, and some potentially devastating mistakes, are what we’ll explore in this snakebite guide.