Texas Girl Bit by Venomous Snake, It’s a Warning for Us in Louisiana

The adventures of a young Texas girl are a warning for all of us in Louisiana. The venomous copperhead snake lurks in all parts of Louisiana and other states. This young girl spent 4 days in the hospital after she and her mom were gardening.

9-year-old Eden Sibley had to have four anti-venom treatments along with spending several days in the hospital after she was bitten on a knuckle by a copperhead while gardening at their home in Woodway, Texas.

She screamed and her brother came running. She screamed at her mother that she was going to die, but her mother kept telling her she was going to be okay. They transferred the girl to the hospital as the swelling on the girl's knuckle began immediately.

Thankfully, she has been recovering well, but National Geographic points out it's children, the elderly, and immunocompromised people who do have to worry about the venom. While most copperhead bites aren't deadly, it's not the same for the three categories mentioned above of people.

It's just another warning for all of us in Louisiana, that copperheads are active in the summer too according to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

Copperheads are also some of the most common snakes in Louisiana and they account for the most snakebites in our state. 

This is an interesting quote from LDWF's website site about the behavior of copperheads:

They are not aggressive but create a potential hazard by lying motionless and camouflaged.

In Sibley's case, the snake was camouflaged near the ground and she was bitten quickly. Her brother came outside and killed the snake while her mother went with her in an ambulance to the hospital.

And, as you can tell from the picture above, this snake wasn't very big. He's a tiny little thing and he did all that damage. It's a great idea to be aware of your surroundings whether you are playing in your garden, yard, or nature in Louisiana.

According to the Animal Diversity Web at the University of Michigan, the copperhead will bite its larger prey and then release it to let the venom get to work. A bit later they seek out their dead prey to eat it.

Since it has heat sensors on the top of its head between the eyes, when the temperature changes, it can gauge the temperature and know when to strike.

Be aware of these facts as you are out this summer, and share this with your children. National Geographic points out they can tolerate living in subdivisions and developed land, making interactions with humans more common.