A two-year-old boy was fighting for his life today after “dying for six minutes” when he was bitten by one of the world’s most venomous snakes in Australia.
Eli was bitten three times by a deadly coastal taipan snake, suffering a cardiac arrest, as he was collecting hen’s eggs with his mother in their backyard in Agnes Waters, Queensland.
He was clinging to life at a hospital in Brisbane and a fundraising page has been set up to help pay for his medical bills.
Richie Gilbert, from Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7, said taipans are elusive but will strike when cornered.
“It was tragic. The snake would have probably had its head in a hole looking for rats or mice. They are a shy but they can strike repeatedly and very quickly if they feel threatened.”
Family friend Blake Hyland, who lives around the corner from the family, said: “When the paramedics arrived he was actually in pretty good shape, but then he suffered a cardiac arrest and was declared dead for five or six minutes.
“Thankfully resuscitation attempts brought him back from the dead.”
By this morning nearly A$14,000 (£8,300) had been raised on the gofundme page set up by Mr Hyland.
He wrote on the page: “Hearing of the ordeal sent a shockwave through our small, tight-knit community.
“The situation has caused Eli’s family to have to drop everything to be by his side at the hospital which is almost 500 kilometers away.
“All funds raised will go to Eli’s medical bills along with his hopeful recovery.”
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