Toddler bitten by rattlesnake needs 28 vials of antivenom
San Antonio — Rustling through the leaves, wood and tarp is a real-life snake wrangler.
“Here's one!” Jonathan Ellard said after he uncovered a snake under a cement paver.
Ellard doesn’t just round up the reptiles for people who want them removed.
“I don't harm any of the snakes," explained the founder of Bexar County Snake Wrangler.
He protects the snakes he catches and often uses the money he makes from his solo work to ensure their survival.
“I rehabilitate if they need it,” Ellard said as part of his mission statement. “I get them medical care if needed. But I always relocate them to a safe habitat nearby."
Julie Andersen knows just how important snakes are to Ellard after he came to her house after an attack.
“It was like a blood-curdling scream," said the mother of 3 who lives on the Northeast Side.
Her toddler “Rex” needed emergency care after a young rattlesnake bit his thumb in the yard last month.
“His hand was like a Mickey Mouse glove,” she described in horror. “It was so big. And, it had started turning purple around his thumb area. And you could just start to see the swelling spread upwards."
Doctors reportedly injected nearly 30 vials of anti-venom over the course of 3 days to counter the snake's effects to save “Rex's” thumb.
Andersen remembered frantically posting a message on a neighborhood app called Nextdoor to see if anyone could help find the snake.
Ellard answered the call.
“He came in and he swept our backyard looking for any and all snakes,” Andersen described. “And, he found the baby rattlesnake that bit our son. He showed our kids what to do, what to look out for and he did it all out of the kindness of his heart. He didn't charge for anything. And, this is his business."
That’s why she nominated him for Fox San Antonio’s CASH FOR KINDNESS award. Fox San Antonio’s Ryan Wolf helped set up the surprise in Andersen’s backyard where Ellard agreed to meet to check the area for snakes after “Rex’s” return home from the children’s hospital.
“Well, hello there!” Wolf said to him after he entered the gated area. “Hi. Are you Jonathan?”
“That's me,” he said in a very matter-of-factly way.”
“I'm Ryan Wolf from Fox San Antonio,” Wolf said with a smile. “How are you?”
“I'm good,” Ellard responded.
“Do you have any idea what I'm doing here?” Wolf asked.
“Filming,” he quipped. “Recording.”
Wolf started to laugh and said “how very astute of you!” He added, “I'm here because Julie thinks the world of you. But, I don't want to tell you what you mean to them. I want her to tell you what you mean to them."
Andersen explained the real reason why she asked him to return. “We are just over the moon,” she told Ellard. “You're an angel sent to us. You came and rescued our family. And, we wanted you to know how important that was. You don't find people like you every day. And we thought you should be recognized for that."
Ellard seemed to be totally caught off guard.
“That's amazing!” she said. “This is something I don't do for anything but to help people. A lot of times there's not a lot of love for the snakes and I just try to help them out."
“Rex” and his older siblings wanted to thank the 39-year-old father of 4 for his unselfish work as well with hand-written notes on a card. Ellard appeared emotional as he read them aloud.
Wolf wanted to show his appreciation on behalf of the CASH FOR KINDNESS program.
“We think this deserves to be rewarded,” he told him. “How does that sound to you?”
“That sounds great,” Ellard said with a smile.
Wolf handed him a stack of $100 bills.
“$500, $600, $700, $800, $900, $1,000,” Ellard counted. “Wow! I'm speechless. I never expected this. I don't do this for money. I feel proud. And, I'm glad I was able to help."
Click here to nominate someone for the $1,000 CASH FOR KINDNESS award
Click here to learn more about the Bexar County Snake Wrangler
