Snake Safety
Snakes have given many mountain bikers a fright on the trail but how great are the risks and what should you do if bitten?
Summer is on its way and mountain bikers all over the country are making the most of the long days and good weather. The same long, hot days that encourage you to get on your bike also make the Australian snake population far more active. So, what about cyclist-snake encounters? Popular literature is full of scary stories about the many dangerous snakes in Australia. Yes, there are numerous species of snake in Oz. Yes, many of them are venomous and a dozen or so of 170+ species could probably kill a human. However, very few people actually die from snakebite in Australia each year. This is in stark contrast to other places in the world where thousands of people die from snakebite (e.g. South America, South Asia and North Africa).
Australian snakes are typically nonaggressive. They will not ‘go after’ a person except in unusual circumstances. Even when stepped upon, many snakes try to flee first before resorting to biting. A final factor in favour of humans is that the snake has control of the toxins in its bite—they often bite without injecting venom into their victim. Snakebite victims in Australia tend to fall into two camps: the careless or unlucky herpetologist bitten by the study subject, or the stupid individual that sought to capture or kill a live snake.
For the mountain biking community, there is little reason to fear snakes whilst out on the trails. Certainly less reason than the snakes have to fear us. Snakes are quite fragile and running one over with your bike may well fatally injure the creature. In my 15 years of mountain biking in the Canberra area, I can count on one hand the number of times I have hopped a live snake on the trails or single tracks around town. Living in Canberra I do have some extensive experience with one particular family of Brown snakes—the ones that live in the infield of the Narrabundah Velodrome! Saturday afternoon training in summer is frequently interrupted by one or more Browns trying to cross the front straight after feeding. When the same snake is subjected to bicycles zooming past for some time, it can become a bit testy and aggressive, yet most days these snakes hide in the grass until the cyclists have departed for the day. My main concern at the velodrome is also my only real concern for a snake encounter when on the dirt; falling on top of a snake could be a good way to get bitten!
However rare this event might be, with all the snakes and all the cyclists out there, odds suggest that it will happen occasionally. Knowing a fall is imminent, many will choose a soft looking bush as a ‘landing patch’ rather than a tree or rock. That bush could be concealing a snake. So what can be done to minimise or manage the risk? When riding off-road, always ride with friends. It makes sense in case of any accident or mechanical failure, not just in case of snakebite. If you are close to town, you can rely on a mobile phone, the ambulance service or a nearby car. In more remote riding areas you need to be self-sufficient. Most first aid kits contain a large bandage that may be very useful if you are unlucky enough to get bitten. The prime rule is to remain as calm as possible and do not go seeking medical attention, rather bring help to you. To panic and ride in search of help will distribute the venom, if any, through your system. Sitting calmly by the trail waiting for assistance is important.
Your riding companion may have to go and seek help for you. Use the bandage to put pressure over the wound. Not too tightly and definitely not a tourniquet, wrap over the bite and then along the limb (assuming it was an arm or leg that got attacked). On the torso use the bandage to apply pressure over the wound. Venom is distributed through the slow moving lymphatic system (not the speedy arterial system) so if you don’t move a lot, the toxins won’t either. For more information on treatment go to www.stjohn.org.au or, more appropriately, take a first aid course to get up to speed on how to best manage incidents such as this.
If at all possible, identify the type of snake that did the damage. Note colour, size, shape of head and so on. Take a photo of it with your digital phone if you can but do not try to capture the snake or more biting will ensue! Awareness of your surroundings and knowing what to do should snakebite happen are really all the properly prepared cyclist need consider.
