Things they don't prepare you for in EMT School

[medicRob]

One of our EMTs took this picture while riding home in her personal vehicle. Mind you, this was in rural TN, and judging from the dog or whatever that is staring at it from the fence like, "Hold on, Im gonna go see what he wants", I am led to believe that he wasn't there to remind her that she could save tons of money on her car insurance by switching to Geico, ya dig?

Considering the town this was in doesn't really have an on-call team to handle this situation, and the fact that even if they did, this is TN... who prepares for this, would you feel that the scene is safe?

Have any of you ever come across anything like this on a scene? What are some of the strangest things you have come across on a call with regard to animals?

 

[8jimi8]

awesome...


Dr. Brown you are called out to life flight for a man down 2nd to mini-dinosaur.

 

[reaper]

Picture is not really clear, but it looks like a monitor. That would be a goat behind fence and he was mostly looking at the goat, for dinner.

Where I used to live in FL, I dealt with this all the time. I was the only one with experience in reptiles, so I got called a lot for removals.

That is not a lizard you want to tangle with, if you have no training. They can rip an arm off and the resulting infection left behind, is hell to battle.

 

[8jimi8]

are they fast ? running speed? Are they fast in melee combat?!! hehe

 

[medicRob]

Picture is not really clear, but it looks like a monitor. That would be a goat behind fence and he was mostly looking at the goat, for dinner.

Where I used to live in FL, I dealt with this all the time. I was the only one with experience in reptiles, so I got called a lot for removals.

That is not a lizard you want to tangle with, if you have no training. They can rip an arm off and the resulting infection left behind, is hell to battle.

Correct me if I am wrong, this is clearly not my area of expertise, but don't these creatures have enough bacteria in their mouths to kill a man with a single bite?

Hands Dr. Brown 200 mg Ketamine from the Thomas pack he whipped out of his back pocket.

All hail thee, Lizard king.

 

[LucidResq]

Correct me if I am wrong, this is clearly not my area of expertise, but don't these creatures have enough bacteria in their mouths to kill a man with a single bite?

"Monitor" is kind of a broad category... you're referring to Komodo dragons which I highly doubt this was (Komodos are large, rare and only found on a few islands of Indonesia). I don't think other monitors have such lethal bites.

I think this guy might be a big-a** iguana. I know Florida is having a big problem with non-native iguanas being introduced... thanks mostly to people releasing their pets into the wild.

 

[Veneficus]

I consider myself a true blue yankee city slicker so from what I learned in biology class at university, there aren't too many maneating or manstalking lizards in North America and it has plenty of space to run and is not defending its home, young, or dinner at the moment.

But if I were a bettin' man I would guess that the 4 legged white critter in the picture has a first name...

O-S-C-A-R

 

[medicRob]

"Monitor" is kind of a broad category... you're referring to Komodo dragons which I highly doubt this was (Komodos are large, rare and only found on a few islands of Indonesia). I don't think other monitors have such lethal bites.

I think this guy might be a big-a** iguana. I know Florida is having a big problem with non-native iguanas being introduced... thanks mostly to people releasing their pets into the wild.

I did a little bit of research and found a couple of sites where, "Monitors" were being sold as pets.

http://www.lizardconnection.com/

I also discovered that these animals are mainly found in Sri Lanka, China, and Africa. I didn't find a single article sighting them as endegenous to the US, therefore I think it is safe to assume they are not.

I think someone might have had this bad boy as a pet and it escaped. My first thought was large iguana.. However, I didn't see the "Spiky" projections from it's back. He sure is handsome though. I'd like to catch him, throw a set of rabbit ears on him, and name him "Walker Texas ranger earnhardt jimmy jack billy ray nelson hangdangle the third"

 

[reaper]

"Monitor" is kind of a broad category... you're referring to Komodo dragons which I highly doubt this was (Komodos are large, rare and only found on a few islands of Indonesia). I don't think other monitors have such lethal bites.

I think this guy might be a big-a** iguana. I know Florida is having a big problem with non-native iguanas being introduced... thanks mostly to people releasing their pets into the wild.

Komodos are the largest of the monitor family. There are close to 100 different monitor species. Range from size of 12cm to 2-3 meters. Most varieties are meat eating and will bite if they feel threatened. They are not a species to run, they stand and fight.

Their bites are very painful. The Bactria in their mouths will cause massive infections, but not enough to kill instantly.

Like I said, the picture is not clear enough. But, the width of the tail and the stance, suggests a monitor.

Iguanas do get rather large. They are not a threat to people. They would not survive the winter in TN. A monitor can acclimate to winters, better!

 

[emt seeking first job]

Is that area in a county that has animal control ?

Is there a local zoo to call ?

Funny thing is, when I was an LEO in a remote area, we saw an injured exotic bird, we called for animal control, an administrator level person came on the radio and asked if any person or domestic animal was being threatened, no, so he cancelled animal control so the agency would not get billed......he said over the radio : " let nature run it's course"

 

[emt seeking first job]

One of our EMTs took this picture while riding home in her personal vehicle. Mind you, this was in rural TN, and judging from the dog or whatever that is staring at it from the fence like, "Hold on, Im gonna go see what he wants", I am led to believe that he wasn't there to remind her that she could save tons of money on her car insurance by switching to Geico, ya dig?

Considering the town this was in doesn't really have an on-call team to handle this situation, and the fact that even if they did, this is TN... who prepares for this, would you feel that the scene is safe?

Have any of you ever come across anything like this on a scene? What are some of the strangest things you have come across on a call with regard to animals?

So what did she end up doing ?

 

[LucidResq]

Hahaha yes it could also definitely be a released pet monitor of some sort, like a nile monitor. I was referring to it being highly unlikely that it would be a Komodo... those you can't buy.

Yeah... it doesn't really look like it's got the spikeys but it's also a poor quality picture from a bit of a distance. They could just be small enough that they blurred out.

 

[medicRob]

Hahaha yes it could also definitely be a released pet monitor of some sort, like a nile monitor. I was referring to it being highly unlikely that it would be a Komodo... those you can't buy.

Yeah... it doesn't really look like it's got the spikeys but it's also a poor quality picture from a bit of a distance. They could just be small enough that they blurred out.

Hershel walker Texas ranger earnhardt jimmy jack billy ray nelson hangdangle the third does not appreciate you calling his "Spikey's" small.. He said to tell you that "Big Things come in small packages" and that he hasn't had any complaints <-- his words, not mine.

 

[medicRob]

So what did she end up doing ?

She continued on with her day as if nothing ever happened, knowing that somewhere at that very moment, monitor lizards with southern names in red-woolen shirts were getting strange kicks from things she herself could only imagine.

 

[LucidResq]

I am officially the weird animal call girl in dispatch. In a few weeks of taking calls I've had a large injured hawk in the road, an elem. school in lockdown due to multiple sightings of a mountain lion nearby, a large gang of skunks cavorting through a neighborhood causing chaos (according to the RP), rattlesnake near a playground, the infamous baby deer eating grass near a busy highway that people call about almost everyday, a "really, really, really big dog" roaming a neighborhood (not causing any trouble and during animal control's off-duty hours, but so big a cop should come out according to the RP), and many more routine dog/cat/deer calls.

 

[Veneficus]

I am officially the weird animal call girl in dispatch..

I seriously think you need to revise your statement.

 

[akflightmedic]

I seriously think you need to revise your statement.

Whats the hourly rate?

 

[LucidResq]

Hershel walker Texas ranger earnhardt jimmy jack billy ray nelson hangdangle the third does not appreciate you calling his "Spikey's" small.. He said to tell you that "Big Things come in small packages" and that he hasn't had any complaints <-- his words, not mine.

And I'm sure based on my growing track record, it will only be a short time before I'm getting calls about H.W.T.R.E.J.J.B.R.N. Hangdangle III forming an iguana gang and getting into a rival gang war with the Skunks.

 

[LucidResq]

I seriously think you need to revise your statement.

Dear God... what have I done? :blush:

911 calls for service regarding unusual animal situations person?

 

[Veneficus]

i'll bet MMiz can change your screen name to that