Virginian man bitten by deadly snake he kept as a pet

The Gaboon viper’s fangs can grow to 2 inches long

A man in Virginia was bitten by his deadly venomous pet snake, prompting state police to rush an antivenom to a nearby hospital.

Police helped to deliver the antivenom from the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Centre in Virginia Beach to Richmond's VCU Health, according to The Associated Press.

The man, who has not been named, was rushed to the hospital on 26 March after his pet African Pit Viper, also called a Gaboon viper, bit him. The snake is one of the most venomous in the world, and the largest viper on the planet. The animal is native to the forests of central and western Africa.

Some collectors have kept the snakes as pets as they are often docile, but one bite can be fatal if their temperaments change.

Thankfully bites from the snakes – which can have fangs up to 2 inches long – are extremely rare, and usually only occur after the snake has been provoked.

According to officials the man was treated with an initial dose of antivenom when he arrived, but needed more, prompting the delivery.

The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Centre in Virginia Beach told the AP that it sent 35 bottles of antivenom.

According to the AP, the man was still alive as of Sunday evening.

Under Virginia law, an individual can keep up to five individual species of any reptile or amphibian with the exception of diamond-backed terrapins, spotted turtles, or eastern hellbender.

Venomous snakes are not banned at the state level, but may be restricted based on city and county ordinances.

Despite the potential danger posed by the snakes' bites, Gaboon vipers – as well as other species of venomous snake – can be sold legally at reptile shows and between individual owners in many US states.

When stricter laws are enforced, it is often after dangerous or frightening situations occur involving the animals.

Lawmakers in North Carolina called for more substantial exotic animal laws last year after a zebra cobra escaped into a neighbourhood in Raleigh, North Carolina. The snake was loose for two days, causing residents to fear for themselves, their children and their pets.

State Senator Jay Chaudhuri took to Twitter to call for stronger laws, where he suggested a registry of venomous snakes owned in the state by created.

"It's time to ask whether we should amend our #ncga laws on venomous snakes. I've heard from a number of constituents (#ZebraCobra calls Senate District 15 home) expressing concerns about our law," he wrote on Twitter.

He called registration a "pretty common-sense solution."