Maltese Traveller Clashes With Venomous Indonesian Snake And Lives To Tell The Tale
Many of us would shudder at the thought of crossing paths with a venomous jungle snake. Let alone being bitten by one. For Maltese traveller Pierre Portelli, this became an unfortunate reality.
Pierre stepped on a green pit viper whilst walking out to his front garden in Sumbawa, Indonesia. And the snake did not take kindly to the ‘attack’.
In a flash, the viper lashed out and bit Pierre in the foot, poisoning him with a ‘haemotoxic’ venom: a type of poison that clots blood. It can be fatal especially if a vein is hit.
Lovin Malta spoke to Pierre and heard all about the harrowing ordeal that saw him race to the nearest clinic, seeking out medical assistance that would later save his life.
“It was very scary. I knew immediately the bite came from a venomous snake. I read all about wild animals and reptiles that are found in Indonesia,” he began. “My girlfriend called a friend of hers – a snake specialist – and he also confirmed this.”
“I hopped on her scooter, and she drove me to the nearest clinic, 20 minutes away.”
Time was of the essence. The longer Pierre would linger, the more likely the venom would have traveled through the blood, hitting various organs in the process.
“I was about to faint a few times from the pain from the bite, and the whole situation, but I kept telling myself to remain calm and breathe slowly, in order to not pump the venom faster in my bloodstream.”
“Luckily, I got to the clinic in time for the necessary treatment to be given. I was able to prevent the venom from spreading further up my leg and through other parts of my body.”
Pierre survived an ordeal that, in many other cases, ended lives.
“Many children who live in nearby villages don’t have the knowledge on how to administer first aid for snake attacks.”
Even despite the close call, Pierre was reluctant to hold the snake to blame for the incident.
“Respect towards such creatures is important. We keep taking up their land and disrupting their natural habitats, we are more of a threat to them than to us,” he wrote on social media.
“Once I’m fully recovered I will dedicate time to gathering the knowledge from local snake experts, to see how we can educate these children in the best way possible.
As a ‘digital nomad’, Pierre’s time in Malta came to an end last November, after he chose to dedicate his life to adventure.
“I had enough of the pollution, concrete jungles, and constant traffic,” he said. “While traveling, I met my current girlfriend Dewi, who runs the foundation: Anak Alam Learning House.”
“The foundation focuses on educating children in its own unique way. An education based on permaculture principles.”
“We eat what we grow most of the time and forage for fruits, herbs, and other food, which our garden provides.”
The students who attend the Learning House ‘pay’ for their schooling not with money, but by collecting plastic trash hand compressed into plastic bottles, thus forming an eco-brick.
“To date, we have collected over 252kg of plastic waste, which is now stored in our eco brick bank. The banks are being used as building insulation and building layers for small-sized projects, like outdoor mud or cement-based benches.”
It marks a large change from what Pierre was previously used to back home, fighting for a good cause whilst being at one with nature and wildlife.
“From time to time we get visits from wild monkeys, not only snakes. Most of them are non-venomous, but I was unfortunate enough to cross paths with a green pit viper.”
Pierre’s cause has him calling for support, and donations, to further the good he is already doing across Maltese borders.
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