A Hillsborough deputy was dispatched to the home to determine whether others might be in danger.
By JACKIE RIPLEY
Published August 19, 2003
TAMPA - Russ Anderson, known by neighbors for his penchant for snakes, was bitten by his pet black mamba during a weekend feeding.
The mamba, a cousin of the cobra, is a poisonous African snake known for its aggressiveness and speed. Its bite is nearly 100 percent fatal without treatment with antivenin.
Anderson, who lives at 9522 Barnside Place in the Countryside Village Mobile Home Park, was taken to Tampa General Hospital for treatment Saturday, sheriff's officials said. A hospital spokeswoman said Monday that Anderson's family requested no information be released on his medical condition.
Normally, a snake bite such as the one Anderson suffered would be the concern of only the Florida Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
However, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office got involved because of fear that young children living in Anderson's home might be endangered, Lt. Harold Winsett said.
A deputy was dispatched to the Sheldon Road mobile home park shortly before noon Sunday.
"We went to check on the welfare of the children," Winsett said. "We'd heard this guy had all kinds of venomous snakes and three or four kids in there."
That turned out not to be the case.
"He may have had some snakes inside the house, but there were no kids in there," Winsett said. "The kids were staying with friends of the family, and his wife was at the hospital."
Winsett said the case was referred to the state commission, which is responsible for ensuring that people who have permits to handle poisonous snakes are trained to control them.
The manager at Countryside Village, who declined to give her hame, said she would not comment on the incident.
