A Virginia man fought for survival after he was bitten by a lethal African Pit Viper he was maintaining as a pet.

The person was rushed to a Richmond hospital the place workers raced to deal with him with antivenom, the Related Press reported.

The African Pit Viper, often known as the Gaboon viper, is likely one of the most venomous snakes on this planet. It's discovered within the forests of central and western Africa. Regardless of being extremely venomous, the snake is often docile and unaggressive.

Bites from the species are extraordinarily uncommon, and often, solely occur when they're provoked. It's the largest viper on this planet and is understood for having giant fangs that may attain as much as 2 inches.

African pit viper
A inventory photograph reveals an African Pit Viper. An identical snake bit a person who had been maintaining it as a pet Mark Kostich/Getty Photographs

Employees at VCU Medical Heart in Richmond had already handled the person with antivenom provided by the Smithsonian Nationwide zoo however they wanted extra to save lots of his life, TV station WAVY reported.

Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Heart in Virginia Seashore informed AP it provided 35 bottles of antivenom, which the state police rushed to the hospital.

The unidentified man was bitten on the evening of March 26. AP reported he was alive on Sunday night however his standing on the time of writing is unknown.

Newsweek has contacted the Virginia State Police for remark.

The African Pit Viper can management how a lot venom it injects in a single chunk. This implies sometimes, its chunk could possibly be non-venomous. The quantity of venom injected is proportionate to how provoked the snake turns into.

The venom of an African Pit Viper can depart victims immobilized. It will possibly additionally stop blood from clotting, which might trigger extreme and extended bleeding.

Earlier this month a North Carolina man misplaced a number of fingers after being bitten by the identical species of snake. The person needed to be handled with 44 bottles of antivenom over the course of per week, which is double what's used for the standard snake chunk. The person from Wilmington was bitten whereas caring for the snake, WAVY reported.

Whereas bites by the viper are uncommon, Dr. Jarratt Lark, who handled the North Carolina man, informed WAVY that sufferers "usually do not survive."

Fingers are generally misplaced following extreme snake bites, however it's uncommon. It relies on the quantity of venom administered within the chunk, and the way badly it has broken physique tissue.

Consultants advise towards maintaining venomous snakes as pets. They will pose a threat to the proprietor, in addition to others if the snake had been to flee.