Child was bitten by a snake while fishing with his family in Minas Gerais, biologist believes it was an anaconda

An 8-year-old boy was bitten by a snake while fishing with his family in a dam, in the District of Miraporanga, in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais.

According to a report published this Wednesday, May 8, by g1 Triângulo, the incident happened when the boy’s mother had briefly gone away to get fishing rods from the car.

According to Rosângela Santos, her son reported that the snake emerged from the water, approached and attacked him, causing him to fall into the water. She ran to the location when she heard the screams and managed to rescue her son, who was already submerged in the dam.

It was only after noticing blood on the boy’s leg that the mother noticed the bite. “He kept repeating ‘she bit me, she bit me’, that’s when we saw the blood and took her pants off,” she explained.

The boy’s stepfather acted quickly by using a T-shirt to tie the child’s leg, an emergency measure that, although well-intentioned, is not recommended by first aid experts for snakebite cases.

The family took the boy to the Planalto Integrated Care Unit (UAI), where he received initial medical care before being transferred to the Clinical Hospital of the Federal University of Uberlândia (HC-UFU).

At the hospital, it was confirmed that, fortunately, the boy had not been poisoned by the snake, which was not identified by the family. After proper treatment of the wound, the boy was released.

When analyzing the images, biologist Henrique Abrahão Charles, a digital influencer in the environmental field and a specialist in snakes, said that the bite on the child’s leg was probably from an anaconda, due to the size and shape of the teeth.

He highlighted that cases of attempted predation on humans by these snakes are rare and that the attack probably occurred in defense instinct, as anacondas do not tend to release their prey easily.

This case highlights the importance of following appropriate recommendations in snake bite situations, which include washing the bite area with soap and water, drinking plenty of water, seeking medical attention immediately and avoiding applying substances or tying the affected area, which can worsen the situation.