Swamp chomp

48-year-old man living in the village of Orang Asli in Perak state was bitten by a venomous snake while foraging for food near Pos Kemar in Gerik on 16 November, The Star (TS) reported.

Sali Seruliou’s companion went to a local clinic for help and rescuers were called in. Reaching the snakebite victim, who became paralyzed and in pain, was challenging, though.

First, firemen and responders from other agencies assembled at the Pos Kemar public jetty and started their trek to the victim’s location at about 1:45 a.m. on 17 November. The rescuers hiked uphill and navigated thick jungle terrain for 10 hours, before reaching the victim at 11:30 a.m., according to TS.

Medics administered painkillers to Seruliou and firefighters trekked four kilometers to an area with a mobile phone signal to call for a helicopter, while others spent three hours clearing a landing site. A chopper then flew him to Gerik Hospital for treatment.

Meanwhile, a suspected carnapper tried to elude arresting officers who stopped the stolen truck he was driving by running into a swamp infested with alligators in the De Leon Springs State Park, Florida, on 12 November.

The police pursuit of 37-year-old Earl Dorey was on its second day, but surprisingly, the daring suspect was also able to elude the reptiles. Luck, however, ran out for Dorey as he was eventually bitten, not by a gator but by one of the K-9s pursuing officers used to track him down in the swamp on 14 November.

The injured suspect was then captured and taken to the hospital before being booked in jail, CBS News reports.

Dorey is facing charges of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, fleeing from law enforcement, and possession of a controlled substance, according to CBS News.