The staff member is currently in unknown condition, 10 News reported. "Although the San Diego Zoo cares for a number of venomous reptiles, incidents like this are very rare, and the snake was contained at all times with no risk of an escape," the zoo added in a statement. A San Diego Zoo employee was hospitalized Monday after being bitten by a venomous snake, officials said. (iStock) National Geographic states about the viper native to parts of western and central Africa: "Their venom typically kills within days." The symptoms from a bite from the reptile include "serious kidney damage and disrupt blood clotting and flow" and "severe inflammation, hemorrhaging, and tissue death."