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A snake catcher bitten by a deadly reptile while on the job is showing good signs of recovery after being on death’s door.
Melbourne man Mark Pelley, who describes himself as the Snake Hunter, was rushed to intensive care after being bitten by a tiger snake and stopped breathing a number of times as the extremely potent venom wreaked havoc on his body.
But Mr Pelley has stabilized to the point that he has been moved out of intensive care and has managed to stand for the first time since the bite on Sunday morning, according to his daughter Aishah, who shared the update on a GoFundMe page.
Snake catcher Mark Pelley is out of intensive care after he was bitten by a venomous reptile last Sunday
‘He has been moved to another ward and fingers crossed he will continue to get better,’ Aishah wrote today on the page to raise money for her father while he is out of action recovering from the bite
She said her father standing up ‘was a big milestone and very reassuring for me’
“Still a long way to go but I know dad is determined,” she wrote, accompanied by a smiley face emoji.
Sir. Pelley, a single father of four daughters, has received two doses of anti-venom but has been battling muscle and nerve damage as well as heart irregularities.
He was attacked by the tiger snake on a property in the northern Melbourne suburb of Diamond Creek after a piece of his equipment broke, according to Aishah.
She said her father began to ‘lose consciousness very quickly in front of my eyes’.
“The venom went straight into his circulatory system from a deep bite and started having neurological effects immediately,” Ms Pelley said.
Pelley stopped breathing several times and Aishah feared he was already dead as emergency services rushed to the property.
With her father on rent, Aishah will run the family’s snake catching business and look after over 100 animals that her father normally looks after.
In addition to helping with those expenses, the GoFundMe page is also raising funds to continue construction of a new reptile facility after the old office was flooded in January.
“My father is my hero as a single father and sole breadwinner for our family and elderly grandmother,” said Aishah.
Pelley’s daughter Aishah said she feared for her father’s life after the tiger snake bit him
Sir. Pelley, who describes himself as the Snake Hunter, also looks after about 100 animals
‘If you knew my father he would never ask for help, I am asking for your help at this time.
‘Once dad gets out of hospital it can be a long time before he is able to work properly again.’
As of Saturday afternoon, the page had raised over $34,000 of its $38,000 goal.
“Mark has helped us on two occasions, removing a tiger snake from near our front steps and looking for a snake in a bedroom in our home,” wrote donor Sharyn Lanham.
‘We wish Mark a speedy recovery and strength to his family at this most difficult time.’
Tiger snakes are notorious for the toxicity of their venom and aggressive behavior when threatened.
They are responsible for the second highest number of snakebites in Australia.
With a venom that attacks the nervous, muscle and blood coagulation systems, tiger snake bites can prove fatal in just 30 minutes, causing paralysis, respiratory distress and organ failure.