A man was hospitalized after being bitten by his pet African pit viper, and according to hospital officials, he is in serious condition at VCU Medical Center.
Authorities shared that the Virginia man was given a dose of anti-venom, but he required a second dose that was rushed from Virginia Beach to Richmond to save his life.
Virginia State Police said that the man was bitten early on Sunday morning by the pit viper, which is one of the most venomous snakes in the world.
A clinical toxicologist at the Virginia Poison Center, Dr. Michelle Troendle, shared with WTVR that anti-venom for an exotic snake is hard to come by, with it already being “very complicated” to make.
“Anti-venom in the United States [for native species] is used frequently enough to justify cutting into smaller pieces, just the fragments to the venom itself. Whereas in exotic snake bites, it’s more cost-effective to make the anti-body and package it as that,” Troendle said.
She said that any anti-venom needed would “more likely than not” have to come from a zoo or aquarium, which it did.
The National Zoo in Washington D.C. provided the man, who has not been identified, the first dose of anti-venom, police said.
As long as venomous or exotic snakes are housed safely away from the public, it is not against the law in Virginia to own the reptile, according to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, WTVR reported.
The African pit viper is not known to bite unless provoked, and its venom can cause paralysis and stop blood from clotting causing prolonged bleeding, News Week reported.
As for the man, police have not given any further updates on him, but he remains in critical condition.
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