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Central Fla. Man Bitten By Venomous Pet Snake

ORLANDO (CBS4) – A Central Florida man remains hospitalized Thursday after being bitten by a venomous snake.

According to a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 31-year-old John Post owns the snake and had reached into the cage when he was bitten.

The FWC official says it was an African puff adder that bit Post in the finger.

He was conscious Wednesday evening after being transferred from an Osceola County hospital to an Orlando trauma center.

George Van Horn, owner of Reptile World Serpentarium, provided firefighters with antivenin to take to the hospital to help treat the victim.

Van Horn says a bite from an African puff adder can "cause a lot of tissue damage around the fang-puncture area."

Officials say Post had a permit to own the snake. Its venom is known as cytotoxic, which means it attacks the blood and tissue.

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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