A man is lucky to be alive after he was bitten by a Gaboon viper - one of the most venomous snakes in the world.
The incident took place in North Carolina and resulted in the man almost dying, but he managed to pull through, losing just two fingers.
Doctors treated the man with 44 bottles of antivenom over the course of a week, which is double the amount usually used to treat a standard snake bite.
The Gaboon viper is native to sub-Saharan Africa and is best known for having the highest venom yield of all snakes.
Its fans are two inches long, and bites are fatal if not treated immediately.
The man, who is from Wilmington, was bitten while caring for the snake, according to WAVY.
After being bitten, he became immobilized, with his blood no longer able to clot, which is a typical side effect of snake bites.
A paramedic and doctor from Myrtle Beach, who both had experience dealing with venomous snake bites, were called to the incident to help the man.
Bites from a Gaboon viper are very rare but are fatal in most cases.
Dr Jarratt Lark told WAVY that patients "often don't survive."
He said: "He was tightrope-walking on the lethal side of 'would he even survive this envenomation' at that point."
The man has spent months in hospital receiving dialysis and physical therapy.
Thankfully, despite losing two fingers, he is now back living a normal life.
The quick thinking of first responders was evident as they called a doctor, who they knew visited Africa frequently.
After seeing the man, the doctor said: "This is going to be the worst Gaboon bite that's ever survived."
Dr Lark told WAVY: "He adapts to his disability, and he's very functional.
"Right now, he works two jobs, back to his baseline, activity level and everything."
Paramedic Thad Bowman, who previously worked at the Alligator Adventure Animal Park in North Myrtle Beach, which had access to the antivenom medication at the time, told WMBF news: "We've dealt with exotic bites in the past, but nothing to this extent."
