VENOM MAN

AN UNEMPLOYED factory worker has proved his immunity to snake venom by letting a deadly mamba bite his bare arm. Through a process of building up his immunity to poison by injecting diluted venom 45-year-old Tim Friede is able to not only survive a snake bite from a black mamba, which normally kills anyone bitten within just 20 minutes, but instead appears totally unaffected. This indifference by Tim is despite the bloody wound to his arm the lethal creature caused when Tim placed the mamba's jaws around his arm and the snake took a bite which injected poison into his arm. Tim hopes that by building up human immunity to snake poison he can contribute to the development of a new anti-venom, more efficient and affordable than the type produced from horses that is currently available. Where no anti-venom is available to people bitten by a black mamba the death rate is usually 100-percent..

Other great stories
DIGIT-AL ART: HANDY COLLECTION UNVEILED

Here's a collection of art for the DIGIT-AL age as these fascinating illusions of landmarks, places and even a banana are made using just a pair of hands .

SPLASHING KINGFISHER

CAUSING a splash, this determined kingfisher goes hunting for dinner .

ADORABLE CHRISTMAS BABIES

WEARING tiny Christmas accessories, these adorable babies get into the spirit of the season .

'GRENADE' DIET PILLS PUT AIRPORTS ON ALERT

AIRPORT staff have been put on alert after diet pills that come in grenade shaped containers sparked security alerts .

POLAR BEAR PLAY

WITH SNOW COVERING the ground around them, these two polar bears play fight .

FACES OF ORPHAN VICTIMS OF AGENT ORANGE

These are the faces of orphans suffering from the horrifying effects of chemical warfare .

CUDDLY TRAVEL BUNNY IS STOLEN AFTER JOURNEY AROUND THE WORLD

An intrepid explorer hopes to be reunited with his travel partner, after his cuddly toy companion was stolen .

SUNBATHING OTTER

A lazy otter finds the ideal spot to soak up the sun and sleep off his lunch .

INTIMATE PORTRAITS OF AFRICAN TRIBES

A German photographer travelled around Africa where he met and photographed members of tribes in a series of intimate portraits .

EASTER ISLAND REPLICA STATUES DESTROYED IN SEA FALL

A project to create an underwater tribute to the stone Moai statues of Easter Island ended in disaster when 15 replica structures were destroyed after toppling from a boat and into the sea .

CHIPMUNK YOGA

ARM extended and head flung back, this little chipmunk performs a loose-limbed yoga move .

ASTOUNDING ASTRONOMICAL IMAGES TAKEN IN GARDEN

AN ARRAY of colours, from pinks to blues and oranges, fill the night sky to create an amazing collection of interstellar patterns .