A resident of Raleigh, North Carolina found himself in a life-or-death situation after his pet, a highly venomous green mamba snake, bit him.
The man quickly drove himself to the hospital and medical workers had to call the South Carolina zoo, 242 miles away, to find the closest antivenom.
A worker at the zoo swiftly packed 10 vials of antivenom in a cooler with ice and drove it to the airport so it could be helicoptered to UNC REX Hospital where the man was being monitored by doctors.
“[If] you get bitten by a green mamba without antivenin, your chances of survival are very low,” Sean Foley, a curator of herpatology at Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, S.C. told WRAL.“It’s a neurotoxic venom, so it’s going to affect your breathing.”
Sean added this was the third time in six months that he’s had to supply antivenin for a venomous bite. However, he wanted to get it to them quickly because mamba bites can destroy a lot of tissue in the body if not treated in time.
The doctors treated the man and said he’s expected to recover. Authorities sent an animal control officer to investigate the matter and have confirmed that the snake is still being kept with its owner.