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Ontario reptile zoo provides antivenin to woman bitten by snake in Thailand

In this Dec. 14, 2018, file photo, an African Bush Viper venomous snake is displayed for reporters at the Woodland Park Zoo, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

PETERBOROUGH – The founder of a reptile zoo just east of Peterborough says he provided antivenin to a woman who was bitten by a snake while on a trip in Thailand.

Bry Loyst of Indian River Reptile Zoo says he was contacted by provincial police and hospital staff in Kitchener on Friday to provide the antidote to the woman.

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He says he was told by the hospital that she had been bitten by a Malayan pit viper, a venomous snake common in Thailand, about a week ago.

READ MORE: Snakebites kill around 200 people per day — now the WHO plans to tackle the problem

He says staff told him the woman received antivenin at a hospital in Thailand, but the symptoms returned when she came back to Canada.

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He says officers picked up six vials of antivenin and rushed them to hospital where the woman was in serious condition.

Loyst says this isn’t the first time his zoo has been contacted for antivenin – he’s provided it about seven times over the past decade for victims of snake bites.

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