Doctors fight for girl's life after she was bitten by poisonous snake in her sleep

Alice Springs, Australia - She will probably never forget this shock for the rest of her life: in Australia, a nine-year-old girl was bitten by a mulga snake in her own bed.

The mulga snake releases enormous amounts of venom with each bite.
The mulga snake releases enormous amounts of venom with each bite.  © imago/UIG

Mulga snakes, also known as king brown snakes, are considered to be shy of humans, usually taking flight and only fighting back when cornered. However, one specimen in the remote town of Alice Springs, located in the middle of the Australian continent, changed its mind and went on the attack.

How this could have happened is still unclear. According to the Guardian, the victim – a nine-year-old girl – was sleeping peacefully in her bed.

Awakened by the child's cry, her parents rushed over, chased away the mulga snake, and took the girl to a hospital.

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The medical staff had their work cut out for them, as the deep bites on the child's feet threatened to kill her through septic shock.

While there are more dangerous serpents in Australia, the mulga snake injects the greatest amount of venom per bite.

The girl was rushed to a local intensive care unit

While the doctors were fighting for the child's life, a snake catcher investigated the family's home, where the mulga snake was still located. He captured the animal and, after a brief examination, released it into the wild.

The heroes in the intensive care unit were able to save the girl. She is now out of danger but will remain in the hospital for a few more days for further monitoring. It will be some time before the child can put weight on her feet again, a doctor said.

The parents, who feared for their daughter's life for hours, were extremely grateful to the clinic staff and the snake catcher.

Cover photo: imago/UIG

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