Man, 18, was bitten twice in three days, probably by the eastern brown snake, one of the world’s most venomous reptiles

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

A man working to clear trees and shrubs in the Australian outback was bitten by venomous snakes twice in three days.

On Friday, the 18-year-old was bitten on his right leg by an unidentified snake while using a chainsaw in a field in Queensland state near the township of Capella, the rescue helicopter service said in a statement on Monday.

After treatment, he returned to work in the same field and was bitten on his left arm by a brown-coloured snake on Sunday.

Snake-handler shortage starting to bite in north Queensland Read more

A helicopter with a doctor and paramedic aboard flew him 300km (200 miles) back to the service’s base hospital in Mackay to treat the second bite, the statement said.

“This incredibly unlucky fellow wasn’t very talkative as he was in a great deal of pain when we arrived at the hospital,” on Sunday, the statement said.

The man was almost certainly bitten by different snakes, said Claudia Corrigan, an expert from Canberra reptile zoo.

Both were probably eastern brown snakes, also known as the common brown snake, which is world’s second most venomous land snake after Australia’s inland taipan, Corrigan said.