A San Diego Zoo employee was hospitalized after being bitten by a venomous snake — one for which no antivenom exists. The zoo says the worker was bitten by the African bush viper in an area of the zoo that is off-limits to the public. How dangerous is this?
The bush viper’s venom can cause hemorrhaging and potentially death. There is no known antivenom for its bite, though people including a Texas man bitten by a bush viper he illegally kept as a pet have been treated with antivenom developed for the venom of other snakes.