A Melbourne snake catcher has been moved out of intensive care and is “showing signs of recovery” after a tiger snake bite left him fighting for life.
Mark Pelley, commonly known as The Snake Hunter, was bitten on his hand after his equipment broke while catching a snake last week.
Pelley has now been moved out of ICU and is “showing signs of recovery” his daughter Aishah wrote in an update shared to a GoFundMe.
“He has been moved to another ward, and fingers crossed will continue to get better,” she said.
“Yesterday he stood up for the first time since Sunday morning before the bite, which is a huge milestone and very reassuring to me.
“There is still a long road ahead but I know dad is determined.”
At the time of the bite, Pelley wrote on social media she had watched her father “lose consciousness very fast in front of (her) eyes”.
Can you spot the snake in this Victorian scrub?
“The venom went straight into his circulation system from a deep bite and started to have neurological effects immediately,” she said.
“He couldn’t talk, (or) breathe properly and the hospital asked me to discuss him possibly go on ventilation.”
Pelley is well known across Melbourne for removing and rehoming venomous snakes from residential areas.
His daughter said this was his first serious bite in 14 years.
Tiger snake bites result in paralysis, incoagulable blood and muscle damage, which may lead to renal failure, according to the University of Melbourne.
