Poisonous floodwater animals

With floods come poisonous snakes, insects & even crocodiles. In this watery world, humans must be very careful.

Photo of a four-metre-long python caught at a flooded house in Pathum Thani's Thanyaburi district (Date: 10-10-201)

Click button to listen to Poisonous Floodwater Creatures to download

How to protect against poisonous creatures during flooding by Pichaya Svasti

With more than 30 provinces submerged and the casualty list piling up by the day, public grievances from loss of life and property are aggravated by fears of the floodwaters being infested with poisonous snakes and crocodiles, not to mention the diseases they spawn. 

Last month Nakhon Sawan alone reported 18 cases of snake bites, prompting the Ministry of Public Health to boost its stockpile of anti-snake serum by a further 3,500 dosages and dispatch a few hundred to flood-hit areas. Now every public hospital outside Bangkok has 10 dosages in its stock.

Meanwhile, crocodiles and creatures dangerous and poisonous have been spotted in the floodwaters. As a safeguard, Assoc Prof Somsak Panha, a biology lecturer at Chulalongkorn University, has some tips. 

Sprinkle alkaline substances such as lime around your house and risk-prone areas to keep poisonous creatures and insects away. 

Avoid walking around bushes, stumps or submerged bridges since the creatures have a tendency to flee flooding to warmer places. Wading through water keep an eye on suspicious floating objects and hit the water with a wooden stick to clear way first. Statistics show that most victims who where attacked had stepped on or come in contact — some way or other — with these creatures. 

Avoid wading through water or walking on water-logged bridges at night since snakes and other reptiles may be hiding there and vibration from walking can frighten and prompt them to attack you. Most poisonous creatures are active at night. If you need to go, arm yourself with a high-power flashlight and a wooden stick. 

According to him, having pet dogs by your side is a good option since canines have good eyes and can warn you when spotting anything suspicious. 

Alert rescuers when dealing with large creatures. In the case of smaller ones like scorpions or centipedes, use a long wooden stick to steer them into a bucket and cover it with a piece of cloth or blanket and wait for the rescuers, but keep children away. If the rescuers are too busy or far away, you may have to beat them to death, but if it happens to be a big snake, cover it with blankets and wait for a professional hand to arrive and deal with the problem. 

Keep anti-histamines and balm for treating centipede or scorpion bites. Bear in mind that heart disease patients are mostly allergic to centipede bites.

Provide proper first-aid treatment to those bitten by snakes: telephone the Thai Red Cross Society's Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute for advice, and rush victims to the institute or nearby hospitals. If victims stop breathing on the way, perform CPR on them.

To help those bitten by poisonous snakes, cleanse the wounds with pure water, squeeze tainted blood out of wounds using your hands, minimise the movement of the affected areas and rush them to hospital. If possible, snakes should be killed and brought to hospital so that doctors can correctly diagnose patients.

According to the Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute, there are 7,000-10,000 cases annually in Thailand of people being bitten by poisonous snakes. Commonly found in this country are arthropods such as scorpions, centipedes, millipedes and spiders, though existence of fatal species has not been reported. Their bites lead to swollen skin and pains that will start abating within 24 hours — for most arthropods — or a week for spider bites. If the pains persist or intensify, see a doctor.

Well-known veterinarian Alongkorn Mahannop suggests placing clothes soaked in paraffin oil around risk-prone areas to keep small poisonous creatures at bay. As a safeguard against snakes, people should hit the ground or water with a wooden stick before stepping forward. However, the noise can alert crocodiles to attack them. Therefore stay quiet if you spot one. When attacked by the beast, try to stick in a wooden wedge before it is able to lock its jaws on you. It is a very difficult thing to do, but it is better than doing nothing to save your own life.

Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute's anti-venom clinic can be reached at 02-252-0161—4 ext 125, 130, 131 and 132 or via [email protected]. It opens 8:30am-4:30pm on weekdays and 8:30am-noon on Saturdays and public holidays. For emergency assistance, call 1669.

(Source: Bangkok Post, How to protect against poisonous creatures during flooding, 13/10/2011, Pichaya Svasti, link) 

Poisonous Animals in the Floodwaters Vocabulary

poison (noun) - chemicals that can cause injury to humans or animals when eaten, "substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism. In medicine (particularly veterinary) and in zoology, a poison is often distinguished from a toxin and a venom. Toxins are poisons produced via some biological function in nature, and venoms are usually defined as toxins that are injected by a bite or sting to cause their effect, while other poisons are generally defined as substances which are absorbed through epithelial linings such as the skin or gut"  พิษ, ยาพิษ (See Wikipedia)
poisonous (adjective)

venom - poisons which animals inject into their victims when they bite or sting them (See Wikipedia)

anti-venom - "a biological product used in the treatment of venomous bites or stings. Antivenom is created by milking venom from the desired snake, spider or insect. The venom is then diluted and injected into a horse, sheep or goat. The subject animal will undergo an immune response to the venom, producing antibodies against the venom's active molecule which can then be harvested from the animal's blood and used to treat envenomation (bites or stings where the venom enters a person's body)"(See Wikipedia)

bitten by poisonous snakes

python -  a family of non-venomous snakes, some of the largest snakes in the world, "ambush predators ... they typically remain motionless in a camouflaged position and then strike suddenly at passing prey. They will generally not attack humans unless startled or provoked, although females protecting their eggs can be aggressive. Reports of attacks on human beings were once more common in South and Southeast Asia, but are now quite rare... Prey is killed by a process known as constriction; after an animal has been grasped to restrain it, a number of coils are hastily wrapped around it. Then, by applying and maintaining sufficient pressure to prevent it from inhaling, the prey eventually succumbs due to asphyxiation. It has recently been suggested that the pressures produced during constriction cause cardiac arrest by interfering with blood flow ... Larger specimens usually eat animals about the size of a house cat, but larger food items are known: some large Asian species have been known to take down adult deer... Prey is swallowed whole, and may take anywhere from several days or even weeks to fully digest" (See Wikipedia)

non-venomous - do not bite and inject venom into people and animals

reptile - animals such as snakes, lizards, crocodiles and turtles that have skin covered in scales and are cold-blooded (See Wikipedia) สัตว์เลื้อยคลาน

creature - an animal
poisonous creatures - poisonous animals

arthropods such as scorpions, centipedes, millipedes and spiders

arthropod - a large group of animals that includes insects (See Wikipedia)
scorpion - แมงป่อง (See Wikipedia)
centipede - ตะขาบ (See Wikipedia)
millipede - a worm-like creature with many legs that eats decaying leaves and other dead plant matter (See Wikipedia)
spider - แมงมุม (See Wikipedia)

infested - when large amounts of insects or animals enter a place and live there (usually not good) 
floodwaters being infested with poisonous snakes and crocodiles

Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute - (Thai: สถานเสาวภา Sathan Saovabha) in Bangkok, Thailand, "is a famous institute that specialises in the husbandry of venomous snakes, the extraction and research of snake venom. It also houses the snake farm, a popular tourist attraction."

"The origins of the institute can be traced back to 1912 when King Rama VI granted permission for a government institute to manufacture and distribute rabies vaccine upon the suggestion of Prince Damrong, whose daughter, Princess Banlusirisarn, had died from rabies infection. It was officially opened on 26 October 1913 in the Luang Building on Bamrung Muang Road as the Pastura Institute after Louis Pasteur, who discovered the first vaccine against rabies. In 1917 it was renamed the Pasteur Institute and placed under the supervision of the Thai Red Cross Society. The institute also produced vaccine against smallpox.

"In the early 1920s the king offered his private property for the construction of a new home for the institute on Rama IV Road. The new buildings were officially opened on 7 December 1922, now named for the king's mother, Queen Saovabha. At the same time, the institute's first director, Dr. Leopold Robert, requested contributions from foreigners living in Thailand for the establishment of a snake farm, which would enable the institute to manufacture antivenom for snake bites. Reportedly the second snake farm in the world after one in Sao Paolo, Brazil, it was opened on 22 November 1923 by Queen Savang Vadhana, then President of the Thai Red Cross, on the institute's premises.The research into snake venom is highly important, since many people fall victim to venomous snake bites. Normally only an antidote that is based from the same snake’s venom can save the individual's life.

"Containing thousands of some of the most venomous snakes in the world, such as the king cobra and all sorts of vipers, the snake farm is a highlight for any tourist visit. There are daily shows where handlers play around with pythons, and extractions of venom can also be witnessed. There is also a museum, and lectures are given. The QSMI and the snake farm are located near Chulalongkorn Hospital, on the corner of Henri Dunant Road and Rama IV Road." (See Wikipedia)

Thai Red Cross Society - the branch of the Red Cross in Thailand, founded in 1893 (See Wikipedia) สภากาชาดไทย

Red Cross - an international organization that cares for the sick or wounded or homeless in wartime and natural disasters, the red cross symbol protects them from attack, founded in 1864 with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the Red Cross is famous for the volunteers working for the organisation and for providing blood for medical purposes (See Wikipedia)

emergency - an unexpected situation involving danger in which immediate action is necessary เหตุฉุกเฉิน
assistance - help (given to someone)
aid - help; assistance ความช่วยเหลือ

first aid - providing the first care for a sick or injured person before the person can be sent to a hospital or doctor, usually performed by a non-expert who has attended a short course in first aid: "a series of simple potentially life-saving techniques that an individual can be trained to perform with minimal equipment" (See Wikipedia)

CPR - cardiopulmonary resuscitation, emergency procedures to assist person who has just had a cardiac arrest with no breathing or abnormal breathing  (See Wikipedia)

cardiac arrest - a dangerous condition of the body when normal circulation of the blood stops "due to failure of the heart to contract effectively... A cardiac arrest is different from (but may be caused by) a heart attack, where blood flow to the muscle of the heart is impaired" (See Wikipedia)
treatment - the process of providing medical care การรักษา
proper - the real thing, done correctly, properly จริง (พระราชพิธีพระราชทานเพลิงพระศพจริง)
proper first-aid treatment - real first-aid (as taught in special classes by the Red Cross)

veterinarian - a person with a medical degree trained to take care of the health of animals สัตวแพทย์ (See Wikipedia)

submerged - under water จมน้ำ อยู่ใต้น้ำ

casualty - a person who is injured, hurt or killed in some accident or other bad event such as a war
casualty list piling up by the day - the numer of people injured, hurt or dieing is increasing every day

grievances - complaints about being treated in an unfair way ความคับข้องใจ

property - quality คุณสมบัติ

aggravated - annoyed รำคาญ รู้สึกรำคาญ
grievances aggravated by fears - complaints are made even worse by their fear

spawn - to create ก่อตัวขึ้นเป็นจำนวนมาก

prompting - causing
boost - to increase; to strengthen เพิ่ม; ทำให้มีกำลังมากขึ้น

stock - an amount of something that you keep so that you can use it when you need it ที่เก็บไว้ในสต๊อก
stockpile - store large amounts of something for future use จำนวนสินค้าที่เก็บตุนไว้เป็นจำนวนมาก

dosage - an amount of some medicine (or some other chemical) measured and used

dispatch - to send someone or something somewhere ส่งคนออกไป

spotted - seen; noticed ปรากฏให้เห็น
spotted in the floodwaters

safeguard - protect ป้องกัน

sprinkle - throw small drops of water over a place or people โรย  โปรย
alkaline substances - chemicals that are very "basic", the opposite of acidic, very alkaline substances are "caustic" or "corrosive" (See Wikipedia)
sprinkle alkaline substances - spread or scatter alkaline chemicals around

corrosive substance - "corrosives are different from poisons in that corrosives are immediately dangerous to the tissues they contact, whereas poisons may have systemic toxic effects that require time to become evident" (See Wikipedia)

risk - the possibility that something dangerous or unpleasant might happen ความเสี่ยง
prone - to have tendency of something happening or going wrong (example: The boy was accident-prone, having broken his legs a dozen times in various accidents.)
risk-prone areas - dangerous areas  

stump - ตอไม้
submerged bridge - a bridge under the water

flee - to leave a dangerous or unpleasant situation quickly; to escape หนี อพยพ
flee flooding to warmer places

wading - walking through water (that covers the lower part of your legs) 
wading through water

keep an eye on - watch something carefully
suspicious - making you believe that something is wrong, dangerous or illegal น่าสงสัย

keep an eye on suspicious floating objects  

clear - easy to understand
victims - people who are killed injured or harmed in some way from an accident, natural disaster, crime, etc.

contact - meeting something or someone ติดต่อ สัมผัส
come in contact with these creatures

water-logged - full of water
water-logged bridges

prompt - to cause something to happen or be done ก่อให้เกิด
vibration from walking can frighten and prompt them to attack you

active - doing things; working, operating, doing their job
active at night - doing things at night

arm - get a weapon (to attack or defend yourself)
flashlight - a small electric light operated by batteries that you hold in your hand. The British word is torch. ไฟฉาย
arm yourself with a high-power flashlight and a wooden stick

option - a choice; something that you can choose in a particular situation ทางเลือก ตัวเลือก
good option - a good choice

warn you when spotting anything suspicious - tell you when they see something dangerous

alert - a warning to people to be prepared to deal with something dangerous, prepared to deal with something dangerous การเตรียมพร้อม การเตือนให้ระวัง ตื่นตัว ระวัง

rescue - helping people when they have an accident or are in a dangerous situation การช่วยเหลือ,การช่วยชีวิต,การแย่งชิง
rescuer - people who help other people in a dangerous situation and bring them to safety ผู้ช่วยเหลือ,ผู้ช่วยชีวิต,ผู้แย่งชิง

alert rescuers - tell the resuers that there is something dangerous

bucket - a container with an open top and a handle, often used for carrying liquids ถัง
centipedes, use a long wooden stick to steer them into a bucket and cover it

blanket - a thick cover made of wool or another material that you use to keep warm in bed ผ้าห่มblanket

beat them to death - hit them until they die

anti-histamines - (See Wikipedia)
balm - an oil that is obtained from a particular tropical trees and used especially to treat injuries or reduce pain ยาหม่อง
allergic to centipede bites

rush - to move or do something very quickly รีบเร่ง, วิ่ง
rush victims to the hospital - bring the person with the problem to the hospital quickly

pure - having nothing in something to spoil its quality or effect บริสุทธิ์
pure water - clean water (bottled water, for example)

tainted - made dirty or spoiled มัวหมอง มีมลทิน แปดเปื้อน
squeeze tainted blood out of wounds

minimise - to reduce something harmful or unpleasant to the smallest amount or degree ลดจำนวนลง ลดให้เหลือน้อยที่สุด
minimise the movement of the affected areas

diagnose - to find out what physical or mental problem someone has by examining them วินิจฉัย,ตรวจโรค
diagnose patients

annually - happening every year ทุกๆปีด
7,000-10,000 cases annually

fatal - causing someone to die ถึงตาย
species - a set of animals or plants in which the members have similar characteristics to each other and can breed with each other พันธ์,จำพวก
fatal species - one kind of animal that can kill humans
 
swollen - บวม
swollen skin

abate - becoming less or ending and stopping
pains that will start abating within 24 hours

persist - to continue ยืดเยื้อต่อไป
intensify - to get stronger เข้มข้นขึ้น

If the pains persist or intensify, see a doctor.

clothes soaked in paraffin oil

risk-prone areas - dangerous places

keep at bay - keep them away from you, prevent them from attacking you 
keep small poisonous creatures at bay

safeguard - take action to make safe, do things to make safe and protect (take precautions)
safeguard against snakes - do things to protect yourself against snakes

noise can alert crocodiles to attack 

spot - to see or notice
stay quiet if you spot one - if you see one, don't make noise

beast - animal (a dangerous and frightening animal)

stick in a wooden wedge before it is able to lock its jaws on you
wedge - a piece of wood stuck in an opening to keep it open

lock (verb) - to grab and hold tightly 
jaws - the bone that holds your teeth in place ขากรรไกร
lock its jaws on you - grabs you by the teeth (in order to eat you)