Austin Firefighters Praise Unlikely Hero Saving Kids From Snake

AUSTIN, TX — Firefighters on Thursday praised an unlikely hero that wrestled a coral snake mere inches from where two children were playing — without stopping to recite 'red on yellow, kill a fellow; red on black, venom lack' in assessing the danger posed.

It was a Shih Poo puppy named Panda.

The Austin Fire Department posted a photo of Engine 40 crew members holding the canine hero after responding to the scene to remove the fallen snake.

The puppy's heroic actions aren't to be underestimated. Its owner wrote that were it not for Panda's quick action, the poisonous snake's colorful markings could have caught the children's attention and prompt them to handle the reptile.

“My awesome hero pet puppy, Panda, saved kids’ lives today,” the dog's owner wrote. “As we all know, the coral snake is deadly and by it being bright in color, the toddler and child could have easily picked it up and the ending would have been tragic!”

In saving the children, Panda did so at its own peril. Although rare, bites can be fatal to dogs.

According to PetMD, there are two clinically important subspecies of coral snake in North America: the eastern coral snake, Micrurus fulvius fulvius, in North Carolina, southern Florida, and west of the Mississippi River; and the Texascoral snake, M. fulvius tenere, found west of Mississippi, in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas.

"Bites are relatively uncommon because of the snake's reclusive and non-aggressive behavior and nocturnal habits," PetMD veterinarians wrote. "When injuries do occur, they often occur on the lip because an animal has gotten too close. Onset of clinical signs may be delayed several hours (up to 18 hours) after your pet was bitten. Victims develop paralysis, including paralysis of the breathing muscles. The primary cause of death is respiratory collapse."

Coral snakes are small, vibrantly colored, highly venomous snakes, according to LiveScience. They have the second-strongest venom of any snake after the black mamba that has the most deadly venom.

Judging from post-snake-fight photos of Panda, the mighty dog named Panda appears to be fine, ready to fight another day.

>>> Image via Shutterstock