Warning: This story contains graphic content some readers may find distressing
Not to sound like an absolute boomer, but it does feel like people will do anything to get a bit of clout on the internet nowadays.
But sometimes a bit of viral fun goes, well, t*ts up. And for this influencer, things had gone very, very wrong before the camera even began rolling.
David Humplett started filming seconds after he was bitten by a highly venomous rattlesnake.
The snake’s bite saw him airlifted to hospital (@davidorin1/YouTube)
Known as David Orin, or @adventorin, on his social media channels, the 25-year-old wildlife enthusiast known for travelling the US to find different wildlife – in particular, snakes and other reptiles.
While in Dixie Country, Florida on 18 December, the lad had the cameras going when a diamond rattlesnake found him first.
“Welp, I’m cooked,” he said, just moments after the snake took a bite on his leg. “Alright, that right there is a fantastic Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake that I just got bit in the leg by when I was peeling bark.”
As blood began trickling down his leg, he explained he had been peeling bark from a tree so hadn’t noticed the snake.
“Alright I’m about to lose my ability to walk,” Humplett says before the clip cuts to him in hospital.
Humplett says the future of his leg is ‘uncertain’ (GoFundMe)
The Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake is the largest rattleback species and one of the heaviest known species of venomous snake. Plus, it’s earned itself the reputation of being the most dangerous venomous snake in North America.
The influencer explained that as soon as he finished recording he got into the car where he thinks he went into ‘anaphylactic shock’ as his whole body went ‘numb and tingly’.
“The site [of the bite] on my shin felt like it was going to explode, still does,” he said.
After driving to the nearest fire station, he was taking by helicopter to a hospital for treatment and received antivenom.
“The swelling’s still getting worse, so I need more,” Humplett continued.
Showing his bruising leg, he finished the video by saying: “I’m scared I’m going to die, but hopefully not.”
Marking day 14 in the hospital, he shared an update on Instagram earlier this morning (1 January) to say the future of his leg ‘is still uncertain’ and that a ‘potential future amputation isn’t even off the table’.
The influencer has set up a ‘recovery fund’ on GoFundMe to go towards medical bills and help for his family while he recovers.
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@adventorin
Topics: Social Media, GoFundMe, Animals
Experts have issued a warning after a woman lost her hair following an insect bite.
The 28-year-old, from Boston, Massachusetts, was bitten on top of her scalp and subsequently suffered hair loss around the affected site.
The alopecia started to spread and the patient was left with thinning hair, as well as bald patches across her head.
The case report reads: “Upon presentation, her exam revealed diffuse patchy hair loss […] with yellow and black dots and exclamation point hairs throughout the entire scalp, and postinflammatory hyperpigmentation and scar-like alopecia at the site of attachment.”
The alopecia occurred after the insect bite (Getty Stock Photo)
Hair loss can be a result of tick bites. Healthline explains: “Hair loss has also been a reported symptom both anecdotally and in clinical case reports. This may be caused by temporary hair follicle damage from the infection, or from the tick bite itself.”
Writing in JAAD Case Reports, medics have explained further: “Tick bite alopecia, although rare, has maintained a relatively predictable clinical course
“Hard tick scalp attachment typically induces tissue necrosis [death] and the formation of an eschar [dead tissue that forms over healthy skin that then sheds] that ultimately progresses to a patch of moth-eaten-appearing cicatricial alopecia [scarring hair loss].
A case report reveals the patient’s hair loss (National Library of Medicine)
“Surrounding hair loss can occur around the attachment site.”
While hair loss can resolve in a few months, experts say it can in some cases take up to five years.
After consulting doctors, the anonymous patient – who also had polycystic ovary syndrome – began taking a steroid, followed by a medication called baricitinib.
Baricitinib is a strong drug used to treat severe rheumatoid arthritis, as well as alopecia and eczema.
After a few months, the woman’s hair began to grow, with ‘significant regrowth in all prior alopecic sites apart from the tick attachment site and the immediate surrounding area’, the case report explains.
Ticks are small insects that feed on the blood of birds and mammals, including humans.
Ticks can be found in grassy and woodland areas (Getty Stock Photo)
They’re usually found in woodland, moorland or grassy areas, such as gardens and parks.
They can’t fly, but attach onto skin or fur if the animal or person is standing close enough, or walking by.
Tick bites can cause swelling, itchiness and blistering around the site and if you do think you’ve been bitten by a tick, it’s important to seek medical advice.
In some cases, tick bites can lead to Lyme disease, which is a potentially serious illness.
If not treated, Lyme disease can cause pain and swelling in the joints, nerve issues, memory problems, difficulty concentrating and heart complications.
According to experts, tick bites are on the rise in the UK.
Sally Cutler, professor of medical microbiology at the University of East London, explained in The Conversation: “It’s difficult to estimate how much tick populations have really increased, and whether this is part of a long-term trend, because tick abundance surveys tend to be localised and sporadic, and the tick life-cycle typically spans around two years.
“But we are seeing both an upsurge of some species and the establishment of new ticks in the UK in recent years.”
Featured Image Credit: Medicaldialogues.in/Getty Stock Images
Topics: Health, Hair, Animals, UK News
Harrowing footage of a woman hopping the fence and coming face-to-face with a tiger at a New Jersey zoo has circulated online.
The visitor is now wanted by authorities after she made her way into the tiger enclosure seemingly with the intention of getting close to the big cat, almost undergoing a horrific accident in the process.
A video of the bizarre incident, which happened at Cohanzick Zoo, was shared on Facebook by the Bridgeton Police Department on Tuesday (20 August), with the post detailing that she climbed over a wooden fence to touch the predator and ‘almost getting bit’ while doing so.
Footage shows the woman trying to get the tiger to react by putting her hand through the wires which block the animal from getting out.
The tiger sniffed it for a moment, before lunging at her and attempting to have a bite of the snack she was apparently offering up.
She then jolted back before the big cat turned away, holding still while looking away, then hopping back over the wooden fencing which is around four feet high.
The Facebook post from local authorities revealed a photo of a sign at the zoo near the tiger enclosure that said: “Do not climb over the fence. Climbing over any zoo fence is against city ordinance 247-C.”
In the police department’s statement following the incident, they said: “Reminder to the public when visiting the zoo that it is against City Ordinance to climb over any fence.”
The footage shows how close the woman was to a horrific accident. (Bridgeton Police Department)
Police later said in a statement: “A female at the Cohanzick Zoo went over the wooden fence at the tiger enclosure and began enticing the tiger almost getting bit by putting her hand through the wire enclosure.”
They shared the video on social media in the hope that someone would recognise her and send them anonymous tips through their official website.
According to local media outlet News 12 New Jersey, these actions would warrant a ban or restriction from the zoo.
John Medica, Director of Recreation and Public Affairs for the City of Bridgeton, told People in a statement: “Any visitor behaviour that places the animals, staff and members of the public in a potentially dangerous situation is unacceptable and will be addressed accordingly.”
The tiger lunged at the tresspasser. (Bridgeton Police Department)
Bridgeton is located 50 miles south of the state of Philadelphia, while Cohanzick Zoo opened in 1934, branding itself as the first zoo in New Jersey.
It now houses about 45 species of animals, including leopards, bears and mountain lions among others.
The zoo’s website reveals that the tiger is one of two Bengal tigers that were born in 2016 and donated by another zoo in North Carolina in 2017