RIP Anton Steenkamp, killed by a black mamba

[Tony Weaver]

My good friend Judge Anton Steenkamp died at about 4pm this afternoon in the clinic in Mpika, Zambia, after being bitten by a black mamba. He and his wife Catherine were on their long-held dream of a trip of three months up to Rwanda and back. He and I had many discussions about routes, weather, bush camps, malaria meds, equipment - but never in our wildest dreams did we factor in the possibility of a black mamba bite.
He was a man of impeccable integrity, one of the finest legal brains I have known, a dedicated conservationist, and a great lover of the African bush.
RIP my friend, we will miss you.

[Andrew Leigh]

Oh WOW, that is tragic. Condolences to his wife, family and all you knew him. Damn you would have thought ........

[africancats]

Tony, There’s nothing we know how to say to help. So sorry .

[Fluffy]

Saw that in the news. Condolences, we never know.......

[Tony Weaver]

Tony, There’s nothing we know how to say to help. So sorry .

Thanks Edward and Anna,
A friend of ours is flying to Lusaka tomorrow, then chartering a plane to Mpika to be with Catherine. I've offered to fly up and bring their rig (Jeep Hemi with campervan) back to Cape Town if needed. Evidently the clinic doctor and staff at Mpika have been exceptional, but without rapid and massive use of antivenin, there's very little you can do about a mamba bite and from what I can gather so far, they were out in the bush, not near town.
I alerted News24 who have done a very good job in a very short time - Anton was very well known, both as a judge and as a journalist on the original Vrye Weekblad.
https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/N...ambia-20190520

[Gungets Tuft]

Terribly sad, condolences to all.

[dangermouse]

Ecclesiastes 9:11,12:

11 I have seen something further under the sun, that the swift do not always win the race, nor do the mighty win the battle, nor do the wise always have the food, nor do the intelligent always have the riches, nor do those with knowledge always have success, because time and unexpected events overtake them all.
12 For man does not know his time. Just as fish are caught in an evil net and birds are caught in a trap, so the sons of men are ensnared in a time of disaster, when it suddenly overtakes them.

11 Ek het teruggekeer en onder die son gesien dat die vinniges nie die wedloop het nie en die sterkes ook nie die geveg nie, en dat die wyses ook nie die voedsel het nie en dié met begrip ook nie die rykdom nie, en dat selfs dié wat kennis het, nie die guns het nie; want tyd en onvoorsiene gebeurtenisse tref hulle almal.
12 Want die mens ken ook nie sy tyd nie. Soos visse wat in ’n bose net gevang word, en soos voëls wat in ’n valstrik gevang word, so word die mensekinders op ’n rampspoedige tyd verstrik, wanneer dit hulle skielik oorval.

[D-tox]

Ai, So so Sad, my condolences to all!

[jelo]

Sad story but here's a thought: he was doing what he desired to do in a place that he loved...........

[Stan Weakley]

Thanks for the notification Tony and condolences to yourself and all connected to Anton. Many of us can associate very closely with this tragedy; there, but for the grace of God, go we.

Mpika is pretty isolated and is some 7 hours and over 600km north of Lusaka. At a guess I would think that Lusaka would most likely be the nearest point carrying effective and sufficient polyvalent snakebite antivenom. Further details would be of great relevance to me. Were they in North Luangwa, or perhaps visiting Kapishya Hot Springs, Mutinondo or the Bangweulu Wetlands? It must have been terrifying for his wife.

I have always been resigned to the fact that if during our travels to isolated areas, either one of us are bitten by a neurotoxic snake like a black mamba, with decent envenomization, it would be tickets. It is simply not feasable for a number of reasons to carry and administer antivenom in isolated situations and the time to death is usually too rapid to drive to help or organize air evacuation, even with a satellite phone.

• Firstly there is a very high incidence of collapse through allergies (anaphalaxis), which carries an extremely high mortality. This is due to a reaction to the horse proteins as horses are used to manufacture the antiserum. One would think that in this day and age more refined antiserum would be possible, but it is the normal story for third world type medical issues where the financial yield from research and developement is insufficient to justify the costs thereof.
• Usually up to 10 or more vials of antivenom have to be injected intravenously (each glass vial is 20ml) and these vials are extremely fragile to carry in an overlanding situation.
• The antiserum has to be refrigerated very meticulously, but not frozen, also not easy to achieve in an overlanding situation.
• The antivenom is very expensive at the doses required and would probably have to be replaced after each trip because of its limited shelf-life under overland traveling conditions.

More details would be helpful as I feel there is much to be learned from this tragedy.

[Koos Best]

Tragic, tragic!!!Our sincere condolences, sounds like a real African at heart
What can one do , when bitten by a black mamba , far from medical care?
Plenty of us , had near unprovoked close calls from venomous snake, but a mamba?
What is the shelf life of anti venom?

[lekhubu943]

..More details would be helpful as I feel there is much to be learned from this tragedy.

Thanks for your input Stan and condolences to Tony and Judge Steenkamp's family.

With utter respect, I agree that much can be learned from this tragedy especially from a doctor and experienced traveler like Stan. How to react and treat the victim, etc. This is a big concern for me as we have had several Cape cobra encounters in camp sites.

Carrying anti-venom or having anti-venom administered by a small rural clinic is clearly NOT an option.

[bones]

Rip

[Hylton]

A very tragic situation but at least he was doing what he loved. Very difficult situation for his wife. Good that he has friends like you Tony.

[walkabout]

Sorry for you Tony and RIP to obviously a brilliant scholar and professional. Must be tough on his wife but it seems the man was so loved and admired she should be getting a lot of support. Ai.

[RonS]

Very sad, every overlanders nightmare!
Condolences to all.
I agree with Stan, there is a lot we can learn from this and further details would be useful.

[Spliffcat]

Hi Tony
If you need a sidekick to help you. I can help out. Pm me.

[albertvl]

Any news on exactly how it happened?

[EHoffmann]

Tony, I am so sorry for your loss.

[Stranger]

Very sad. As a snake enthusiast it always saddens me to hear of fatalities caused by venomous snakes. Condolences to all concerned.

Following on Stan's comments

https://news.sky.com/story/snakebite...-year-11721079