Snakes and snakebite in the UK
03/08/2008 14:51:54
Adder. Photo credit: ‘Jules Howard / Froglife’.
Grass snake
The snake most likely to be seen is the grass snake, because it sometimes visits gardens. Harmless to pets, grass snakes may frequent garden ponds during the summer, in search of their prey, frogs, toads and newts. Legless lizards, slow-worms, are often mistaken for snakes and can also be found in gardens in some parts of the country. They, too, are harmless.
Identifying adders
Markings: Distinctive continuous zigzag along the length of the back.
Background colour: Males usually grey or grey-brown with black markings, females usually brown or red-brown with dark brown markings.
Adder
Our only venomous snake is the adder. While adder bite should always be taken seriously, the likelihood of being bitten should be kept in proportion and an unnecessary fear of snakes should not spoil our enjoyment of the outdoors.
John Baker, Widespread Species Office for the Herpetological Conservation Trust said, "Adders tend to be found in wild places, such as heathland, downs, moorland and woodland rides rather than in our gardens. They are usually confined to specific areas locally - the countryside is certainly not crawling with adders. Even in ‘adder territory', the chances of an encounter are slim. But there are precautions you can take to minimise these even further."
"Keeping to paths reduces the chance of taking an adder by surprise, and stout footwear, such as walking boots are a sensible protective measure."
First aid for adder bites
1 Remain calm, immobilise affected limb and limit exertion.
2 Seek medical attention as quickly as possible. 3 Do not attempt any ‘cowboy first aid' either on yourself or a victim of an Adder bite - this can, in some cases, make symptoms worse.
If anyone is unfortunate enough to be bitten, then the advice is simple - the casualty should be immobilised, but taken to hospital where a proper medical assessment and any necessary treatment can be given. Although often painful, adder bite is rarely fatal - the last human death in Britain was over thirty years ago. Medical treatment of adder bite is very effective.
Smooth snake
And what about the third native snake? The smooth snake, is such a rare and secretive beast, found only on heathlands in southern England, that there is almost no chance of meeting one.
Froglife's Daniel Piec concludes: "With a bit of understanding, the risk posed by the adder virtually disappears and the unlikely event of a snake encounter should be a positive highlight of the outdoor experience, rather than something to worry about".