might sound crazy, but I just felt confident that I could
get through it without going to hospital. The reason
being that just a month or so earlier I had got through a
solid bite from a Mulga Snake, plus I’d had a number of
other bites from a variety of large elapids over the years
with few problems. Anyway, I settled down for a long
night on the lounge watching movies. Pretty soon after
getting home I started to develop some swelling and
redness around the face, and my neck also started to
swell a bit. Plus I had the usual itchiness I get sometimes
with serious bites. I took some Phenergan to deal with
the itchiness. Bruising started to become obvious fairly
early on around the bite site, and my torso was very sore.
The pain was considerable if I coughed or tried to walk. I
anything. The taste problem lasted a few weeks, and
although my sense of smell improved, it never returned
fully.’
Are Coastal Taipans really as dangerous as the stories
would have us believe? In the old days, taipans were
referred to as the ‘death of the cane fields’ by early
settlers, but most of the unfortunate accidents occurred
when cane cutters tried to kill taipans with the machete-
like tools used for cutting cane. Coastal Taipans are a
very alert, agile, fast-moving and somewhat nervous
species, capable of striking fast and with great accuracy,
and often delivering several bites in succession. They
always prefer to retreat into the bush or a cane field given
‘Pretty soon I started to develop some
swelling and redness around the face.
Plus I had the usual itchiness I get with
serious bites.’
also had slight ptosis or drooping of the upper eyelids.
Within a couple of hours my breathing started to get a bit
difficult and I had to begin to focus on every breath.
Later that evening, as it slowly got worse, I started to
consider that if there was any further deterioration I'd
have to try to get to hospital. Luckily it plateaued out,
and I got through a restless night. The next day my
breathing was much improved but I was very sore and
found it hard to walk and eat. From memory, the
soreness and difficult in walking lasted about two or
three weeks. About a week after the bite I noticed food
and drink tasted different and I could barely smell
the opportunity, but once cornered, they can switch to a
very effective defence. Unlike many other elapids,
Coastal Taipans don’t bluff, and there is a consensus
among those who have had experience with wild taipans
that they don’t deliver dry bites. (For simplicity, in the
remainder of this article, I will refer to the Coastal Taipan
as the taipan, since we are only concerned with this
species).
Some years ago I was transferring a taipan from one bag
to another, holding the snake firmly behind the head. As I
pulled the inverted bag over its head, I felt a sharp prick