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A REPTILE keeper at Australia Zoo was rushed to Nambour General Hospital on Wednesday after being bitten by a king brown snake.

The 28-year-old, who has been working with reptiles for 10 years, was feeding the snake when it bit him on the hand.

Australia Zoo director Wes Mannion said it was a rare occurrence, particularly because snakes in captivity tended to be fairly placid.

“This has happened a couple of times over the zoo's 40-year history. It's a situation we rehearse a thousand times to make sure we are ready for it,” he said.

“The first-aid team were on the scene straight away, an ambulance was called and he was taken to Nambour hospital.”

The handler, who Mannion said was so passionate about reptiles he looked for them on his days off, was feeding the snake a mouse when he was bitten.

“When you are working around reptiles all the time it is easy to stay out of their way,” Mannion said.

“But mistakes can happen. The snakes get very excited over food and he just had his finger too close.”

King brown snakes, or mulga snakes as they are sometimes known, are the second-largest venomous snake in Australia and Mannion said they had the ability to inflict a nasty bite.

“King browns are potentially dangerous but there are a lot of venomous snakes in Australia,” he said. “Bites are rare; they like to keep out of the way of people.”

The warmer weather has caused an increased level of snake activity in the region, with a number of snake bites and snake sightings reported recently, but Mannion said advanced first-aid techniques in Australia meant fatalities from snake bites were rare.

“No one should die of a snake bite in Australia with our advanced first-aid techniques,” he said.

“They bite when they feel threatened, are stood on or people try to catch them. You should never try to kill or catch a snake.”

The staff member remains in a stable condition in the intensive care unit at the Nambour hospital. He is expected to be released today.