Let’s be frank: if you come across a wild snake, and especially if you are in a foreign country, maybe don’t pick it up and take a selfie. Seriously. Because that’s exactly what one tourist in Spain did, and it could have turned out terribly.
How did the whole situation become worse? He put a picture online.
After the whole affair, the tourist went ahead and posted a photo of the snake on Reddit in the “What Is This Snake” forum to show his friends. He casually mentioned how calm the snake was when he was holding it. I could almost hear the internet gasp.
Immediately, commenters took to the post—that was made only a few minutes before—some shocked, others close to furious.
“Wait… you grabbed it?! Never do that again!”
One person mentioned he was very lucky he even didn’t get bitten. Turns out, this wasn’t just some harmless garden snake- it was one of the venomous snakes in Europe, the asp viper.
Let’s Read the History and Explain What Happened
A traveler, wandering in Spain, came upon a snake that looked calm and harmless. He thought it would make a cool photo, so he picked it up and posed for a picture. At the time, the snake did not move much, so he figured it was no big deal.
The problem is that he had no idea what kind of snake he was dealing with. Zero. None. So rather than to check what kind it was first, he went full National Geographic and did it bare handed.
About the Snake…
The asp viper may not be the most dangerous snake in the world, but it is definitely not the kind of snake you want to be handling. The asp viper can be found in Spain, France, Italy, and Switzerland, and it has venom that can cause significant injury.
According to AZ Animals, asp vipers typically inhabit hilly, forested, or lower mountain slopes in their range. Although not aggressive, asp vipers will start to coil, raise the front part of their body, and hiss loudly when threatened. That’s your signal to leave, not to pick it up for a close-up.
So… What happens if you are bitten?
It’s probably not a good time. Symptoms start with intense pain, then swelling, bruising, and sometimes even blurred vision. In cases that weren’t treated, the venom can cause injury to blood vessels, which can lead to complications where you lose blood flow to your limbs or heart. Most bites are considered “dry” (meaning they aren’t injecting venom), but that is a chance you don’t want to take.
In the UK, but only, the asp viper is the only venomous snake, but that is even a 4% chance of death by untreated bites. Think of the risk in the wild, where treatment is not immediately boiled down to minutes.
A Little Snake Wisdom, If You Will
There is some wisdom regarding snake encounters to not panic, but to slowly walk away if you see one in your path. That might be all you need to do, as most snakes will usually move away from you on their own. If you do get bitten, as in need to immediately get help.
