Watch your ssstep... after rising reports of snake bites
If YOU’RE scared of snakes, walking through the countryside can result in more than a little trepidation.
Every movement looks like a slither to you, and if you are a dog walker you have the added fear of your inquisitive pet, who loves searching through the undergrowth and investigating everything it sees, being given a sharp bite on the nose.
Following the recent heatwave last month, there have been reports of an increase in snake sightings on some beaches in Wales. New research has also shown a record-breaking increase in reported snake bite-related injuries in the UK.
These reports may cause concern but most of the injuries in the report were actually caused by pet snakes, not ones ambushing wary walkers and curious canines.
In fact, Dr Kevin Arbuckle, a herpetologist (snake expert) at Swansea University, said snake populations had actually “declined massively” over the past few decades.
There are only two snakes native to Wales: the adder and the grass snake. While grass snakes are large, harmless snakes which enjoy wetland habitats, venomous adders can be found basking in the summer heat along the coast. Dr Arbuckle said adders would avoid people as much as possible but got their energy from heat, so the hotter weather could cause more sightings.
On where to find them (or places to avoid to many) Dr Arbuckle said to look for rocks, long grass and warm dunes along the coast, as these were the spots that adders enjoy the most.
Another snake expert, the appropriately named Geraint ‘the Snakeman’ Hopkins, from Llanelli, said: “Gower is the main hotspot for adders.”
Beaches in Gower with extensive sand dune areas include Oxwich, Port Eynon, Llangennith, and Whiteford Sands, so they are places where you might be more likely to see adders. Another adder was photographed on a popular walking route at Llantrisant Common, Rhondda Cynon Taf.
However, adders are a protected, at-risk species and Bridgend councillor John Spanswick has advised anyone who encounters these snakes to leave them well alone. While a council spokesperson for Bridgend has advised people to ‘do as little walking as possible’ if bitten by an adder, although this may be hard if you are bitten on a remote beach which is nowhere near a hospital.
If you get bitten by an adder, Dr Arbuckle said: “The stiller you can be, the less quickly in the body that venom will move. In the UK, we are sometimes far from any hospitals and, generally, getting quickly to your car and the nearest hospital is better than waiting.”