My dd just got back from Ft Wilderness where she stayed with her dad.

[Mom21]

Said a man apparently bent down and got bitten by a snake (cottonmouth rattlesnake---LOL--is there such a thing?). Anyway man had presence of mind to grab the snake and my dd was upset they killed it--silly girl. She said his hand didn't look too good and as they were loading him into the ambulance he said, "I'm going to die at Disney". I hope that was just him having a sense of humor and not feeling as though he was really going to die. If anybody knows about this, I would appreciate some info I can pass on to my dd.

 

[HappyDznyCamper]

You might want to post over on the camping board, maybe one of the regulars is at the Fort now.
Unfortunately, snakes are all over Disney, but they usually stay off the beaten path so to speak. So, don't go off trail anywhere, and don't play in places not designated to do so.

 

[stacy347]

Hopefully, he'll be OK. I remember reading similar stories here in the past and the local hospitals seem to be very well equipped for such things ~ snakes are not new to FL obviously.

Sorry your DD had to see it though...my DD11 would have been heartbroken over the snake being killed as well, LOL.

 

[Feralpeg]

Cottonmouths are pretty common in this area. People really need to stay away from wooded areas. I know that is hard if you are staying at Ft. Wilderness. The good thing is that they keep anti-venom for cottonmouths on hand at the local hospitals. A coupe of kids were bitten last year. Rain tends to drive the snakes out of the brush and closer to people.

 

[Brit17]

Unfortunately, snakes are all over Disney, but they usually stay off the beaten path so to speak. So, don't go off trail anywhere, and don't play in places not designated to do so.

... I don't like snakes at all ...

 

[BellvilleDad]

Said a man apparently bent down and got bitten by a snake (cottonmouth rattlesnake---LOL--is there such a thing?). Anyway man had presence of mind to grab the snake and my dd was upset they killed it--silly girl. She said his hand didn't look too good and as they were loading him into the ambulance he said, "I'm going to die at Disney". I hope that was just him having a sense of humor and not feeling as though he was really going to die. If anybody knows about this, I would appreciate some info I can pass on to my dd.

Yeah, around here, a cottonmouth is a water moccasin. They're seldom deadly, but they are poisonous.

 

[bumbershoot]

... I don't like snakes at all ...

WDW was built in a swamp...critters are there.

 

[Mom21]

Ok feeling to the need clarify. I understand there are cottonmouths and there are rattlesnakes. I grew up in the south. My dd said everyone around kept saying "cottonmouth rattlesnake". I really don't think there is such a thing. Honestly we were laughing about how rumors are spread, but before I make fun of too many people just making sure it isn't some obscure thing.

 

[Mermaid02]

WDW was built in a swamp...critters are there.

Doesn't mean we have to like it! A bunny, a lizard, birds and gators I'm good with. No snakes though...... snakes are the debbil........

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Ft. Wilderness is filled with critters. And believe it or not folks, so are all the other resorts. We stayed at SSR and found a huge black snack outside our door one day. Someone else must have called because the CMs were beating the bush for it a few hours later.

At the Fort they have gators, snakes, armadillos, ducks, etc. There even used to be peacocks but that's a whole other story!
So yes, the Fort is beautiful and full of wildlife.

Hope the guy is okay.

 

[NotUrsula]

It's a Cottonmouth Moccasin, not a rattlesnake. (There ARE several species of rattlesnake common in Florida, but if it was a Cottonmouth it wasn't a rattlesnake.) It's a very likely story, especially if he was near the edge of a body of water or a low marshy area, as these are water snakes that are not averse to venturing onto land.

They are not friendly snakes, and their venom is quite potent, but as a PP noted, hospitals in Florida are always well-equipped to deal with these bites, so if you get medical attention quickly, you'll almost always make a full recovery. Most Cottonmouth fatalities are to marsh hunters who are out alone and have to try to walk for miles to get to get back to a road and call for help.

Cottonmouths tend NOT to run away if you disturb them; they will turn toward you and bite if you get within range, though they won't chase you down if you back away from them. That old saw about the snakes being more afraid of you than you are of them isn't fully true with Cottonmouths; they are nasty-tempered little buggers.

When my brother was about 10, he and a friend decided to explore a creek bed when the water was all but gone; he saw an old door lying in the mud and like an idiot decided to lift it up and look underneath. What he found was an entire nest of Cottonmouths, and he just froze. The friend went runnning for my Dad, who by some miracle was able to get back with a loaded rifle before my brother got bitten. Dad counted 14 snakes after he shot them all.

PS: Is it possible that what the onlookers were saying was "Cottonmouth OR a rattlesnake"? Young Cottonmouths are light brown and banded, they look rather like a Copperhead, until you look closely. (Not that a Copperhead is a rattlesnake, either, but people get confused.) http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/herpetology/FL-GUIDE/Agkistrodonpconanti.htm

 

[Mom21]

Oh yeah. I live in South Florida as far west from the Atlantic Ocean as you can get without hitting the Everglades. I am well aware of what is down here.

 

[Mom21]

It's a Cottonmouth Moccasin, not a rattlesnake. (There ARE several species of rattlesnake common in Florida, but if it was a Cottonmouth it wasn't a rattlesnake.) It's a very likely story, especially if he was near the edge of a body of water or a low marshy area, as these are water snakes that are not averse to venturing onto land.

They are not friendly snakes, and their venom is quite potent, but as a PP noted, hospitals in Florida are always well-equipped to deal with these bites, so if you get medical attention quickly, you'll almost always make a full recovery. Most Cottonmouth fatalities are to marsh hunters who are out alone and have to try to walk for miles to get to get back to a road and call for help.

Cottonmouths tend NOT to run away if you disturb them; they will turn toward you and bite if you get within range, though they won't chase you down if you back away from them. That old saw about the snakes being more afraid of you than you are of them isn't fully true with Cottonmouths; they are nasty-tempered little buggers.

When my brother was about 10, he and a friend decided to explore a creek bed when the water was all but gone; he saw an old door lying in the mud and like an idiot decided to lift it up and look underneath. What he found was an entire nest of Cottonmouths, and he just froze. The friend went runnning for my Dad, who by some miracle was able to get back with a loaded rifle before my brother got bitten. Dad counted 14 snakes after he shot them all.

 

[rie'smom]

My friend's daughter was bitten by a pygmy rattler at CBR. She walked into a flower bed. Snakes love to cool themselves in mulch. After a couple of days in the hospital, she was fine.
As others have stated, stay out of the woods, stay out of the flower beds, and do stay on the paths.