Granny, 87, Kills Venomous Rattler With Bare Hands

Tampa octogenarian takes matters into her own hands, kills snake

By BRIAN HAMACHER
Updated 8:30 AM EDT, Wed, Aug 12, 2009

TWITTER FACEBOOK

Getty Images

An 87-year-old Tampa woman had had it with the mother-loving snakes on her mother-loving porch.

So when a seven-inch pygmy rattlesnake slithered up to Esther Orring's door on Monday and bit her on the hand, she got even, strangling the venomous little serpent with her bare hands.

Realizing that the her wound might require a little more than a band-aid, Orring's family called an ambulance. She's been hospitalized since the incident, where she was administered several vials of antivenom for the bite on the middle finger of her right hand.

"She's a tough lady," Orring's daughter, Maria Pellicone, told WFLA. "She's a very strong person, so she will be a survivor."

Esther, the Snake Slayer

Esther, the Snake Slayer
WATCH

Esther, the Snake Slayer

Pellicone indicated that this was hardly the first critter to fall by her mother's hand, noting that she'd grown up on a farm in Italy.

But the well-gripped granny is expected to make a full recovery, and Pellicone says she'll have the dead snake framed for her.

First Published: Aug 11, 2009 10:40 AM EDT on NBC Miami

TWITTER FACEBOOK

  • 40% thrilled 4
  • 30% laughing 3
  • 30% intrigued 3
  • 0% furious 0
  • 0% sad 0
  • 0% bored 0
processing
      No comments have been posted yet.

      You have 2000 characters left

      processing
      So My City

      You are posting in (change)

      550/550 characters

      (jpg, pngs, or gifs allowed)

      (jpg, pngs, or gifs allowed)
      *Tip: You can also post moments via email or Twitter.

      processing

      View Your Moment in

      Posted by | 1 second ago

      Don't Miss

      local_beat

      3 hours ago

      Holloway's Dad: Speak Out About Photo

      Pa. couple claims underwater snapshot shows skeleton that may be missing teen Natalee Holloway.

      Read It

      local_beat

      5 hours ago

      Principal Posed as FBI, Stole Sunglasses From Store: Police

      Man passed off old sunglasses as new for refund and swiped another pair, police say.

      Read It

      sports

      2 hours ago

      Time for NCAA to Get Serious About Education

      Education secretary Arne Duncan is right to ask that college basketball teams have a 40 percent graduation rate.

      Read It
      Loading...
      Birthdate:
      You must be at least 13 to sign up.
      Gender:
      invalid

      By clicking the button below, I accept the terms of use and privacy policy

      Already Signed Up? Login Below.

      processing

      Here's what we're posting:

      *Only used for verification. We do not store your password.
      processing