Wait…what? Man who claims to be immune to venom has survived bites from 100 poisonous snakes – including the deadly black mamba

 

Tim Friede claims he can survive a bite from the deadly black mamba (pictured) after building up immunity

An unemployed factory worker has proved his immunity to snake venom by letting a deadly mamba bite his bare arm.

Tim Friede says he has built up immunity and claims he has now endured bites from 100 poisonous snakes.

The 45-year-old from Milwaukee has injected himself with diluted venom and is now able to survive a snake bite from a black mamba, which normally kills anyone bitten within just 20 minutes.

Mr Friede can also survive bite from cobras and other deadly serpents.

He hopes that by building up human immunity to snake poison he can contribute to the development of a new anti-venom.

Pictures of the process show the mamba locking its jaws around his arm and leaving a bloody wound.

He said: ‘When people see what I do they usually swear or ask me if I’m going to die.

‘The pictures are a display of my immunity, to prove it works.

‘That’s the only way people will believe it, and the true test if self-immunization works.

‘Letting yourself get bitten requires a very high level of mental pressure, albeit a necessary one to beat snakebite.

‘Doing a pure venom injection is one thing, but a bite is a whole new level – and a necessary one.’

By proving his own immunity he hopes his work will lead to more efficient and affordable than the type produced from horses that is currently available.

‘What I do is called venom immunotherapy,’ Mr Friede said.

 

The unemployed factory worker says he wants to help create a cheaper and more effective anti-venom. He is pictured left with a monocled cobra and with a taipan snake, right

A venomous water cobra sinks its fangs into his arm and Mr Friede says this proves his immunity

 

Mr Friede says he has endured and survived more than 100 bites from poisonous snakes


‘I take diluted injections of venom protein over time to build up my immune system.
‘What that does is build up good antibodies through time that bind to the venom and neutralize it so I don’t die.
‘This is the same way they make anti-venom in horses, I just cut the horse out of the picture. I’ve become the horse.’

However, he does suffer side-effects, including anaphylaxis.

Anaphylaxis is a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction that can cause death through serious swelling and breathing difficulties.

Pictures show Mr Friede’s swollen hand, which is caused by his own anti-bodies attacking his body.
He has regular kidney and liver tests to check his dangerous work is not causing damage to his organs.

 

He has built up his immunity after injecting himself with diluted venom over months and years

 

The snake bite left Mr Friede with a bloody puncture marks on his left arm

The bites cause side-effects and Mr Friede suffers from anaphylaxis, which leaves him with a swollen hand

 

He records the bites using photographs and written dates (left) as evidence that the immunity is genuine

He said: ‘The worst venom-type is called necrotic cyotoxin. They cause bad scarring, and are the hardest to beat.’

Where no anti-venom is available to people bitten by a black mamba, which is native to eastern and southern Africa, the death rate is usually 100 per cent.

But that does not stop Mr Friede from keeping dozens of poisonous snakes in the basement of his house and is working hard to contribute to a vaccine he hopes will make a difference to snakebite victims worldwide.

‘Snakes were here before us, we need to respect them and not kill them,’ said Mr Friede.

 

A taipan snake – which is native to Australia – are among the most deadly land snakes in the world

Friede, 45, keeps a tank full of different venomous snakes at his home in Milwaukee

 

The enthusiast said he hopes his work with snakes such as the taipan (left) and monocled cobra (right) will help vaccinate others