Snake catcher's agonising boomslang bite ordeal

Although he is battling to breathe‚ has suffered severe lung and organ damage and is covered in blisters‚ hopes are high that a Port Elizabeth snake catcher – bitten by a deadly boomslang two weeks ago – will make a full recovery.

Dewald Els‚ 43‚ who cannot eat or talk due to the blisters in his throat and intestines‚ is still in the intensive care unit at Life St George’s Hospital after being bitten on the finger on June 6.

Els was bitten while catching a snake in the roof of a Newton Park house.

The start of Els’ health decline began when he was – according to his wife Tischa – sent home from the Greenacres Hospital emergency unit without being given anti-venom.

Greenacres Hospital management‚ at the time‚ rejected the claim‚ saying Els had not wanted to be admitted.

He was rushed to Livingstone hospital‚ in critical condition‚ hours later.

Els‚ a veteran snake handler‚ assists Port Elizabeth snake expert Mark Marshall in removing snakes from houses.

An emotional Tischa‚ 45‚ said on Tuesday while Els was on the mend‚ he had suffered serious organ damage.