see also: in March 2007 News Releases:   SBInet Completes Test of First Mobile Sensor Tower   Nogales Border Patrol Seizes 6 Tons of Marijuana from Garbage Truck   El Paso CBP Officers Make Largest Drug Bust In 2 Years   CBP Seizes $709,291 in Undeclared Currency at Laredo Port of Entry   Border Patrol Seizes $13 Million in Cocaine Near Hidalgo, Texas   El Paso CBP Offers Tips For Quick, Safe Easter Holiday Border Crossings ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

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San Manuel, Texas — A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Border Patrol agent yesterday assisted a man who had been bitten by a snake near San Manuel, Texas. The man was flown to a local hospital for immediate medical attention.

The incident occurred at 10 a.m. when a Border Patrol agent from the McAllen Border Patrol station patrolling north on U.S. Highway 281, was flagged down north of San Manuel, Texas. As the agent approached a recreational vehicle, a 67 year-old Canadian male citizen advised that a snake had bitten him. The agent, a previous Emergency Medical Technician, examined his wound and suspected that a venomous snake could have bitten the individual. The agent transported the individual to the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint where they waited for an ambulance.

The paramedics re-examined the individual and decided to fly him via Valley Air Care to Valley Baptist Hospital in Harlingen, Texas for evaluation. The individual was treated with anti serum venom and remains in the hospital.

Rio Grande Valley sector has more than 40 Border Patrol agents who are certified as Emit’s. The Rio Grande Valley Sector has rescued nearly 400 individuals in distress during the current fiscal year.

To report suspicious activity, contact the Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol sectors’ toll free telephone number at 1-800-863-9382.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.