Venomous reptiles that have multiplied in Romania: their bite can kill in 5 hours. What can people do to protect themselves?

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Alert in the mountains and in the cities! Venomous snakes multiply – they begin to appear in areas where they did not live before. Enter homes and office buildings. Their bite can kill in five hours if you don’t know what to do.

By Claudiu Loghin on 06.05.2024, 19:17

Since May 1st, a family from Mehedinţi froze with fear – they found a snake in the bedroom. People called 112, and the gendarmes captured him and then released him into the wild. A few days before, a baby viper had been found in the toilet of a company in Drobeta Turnu Severin.

Venomous snakes multiplied

The most widespread species here is the mountain viper. 30,000 cold-blooded reptiles live in our country. The most feared is the horned viper, found in Dobrogea, and the rarest – the steppe viper. Beware of her when you go to the Danube Delta.

“As our planet warms, more and more areas will be suitable for these species. In the coming decades, the area of ​​these species could even double”, says Adrian Bîlbă, doctor of sciences.

Viper season, from May to September

Vipers can be found from May to September, when they go into hibernation, so be careful when you go on trips – it is the season of danger. If you are bitten by a poisonous snake, call 112! The only effective treatment is antivenom serum, which prevents anaphylactic shock. Doctors dispel a myth – it doesn’t help if you squeeze the wound: the venom is not eliminated that way.

Precautions

• Avoid unfamiliar, unmarked areas with tall grass
• He wears high shoes and long pants
• Do not touch the snake even if it looks dead
• Leave the area quietly

“When we meet these vipers, first of all, we must understand that they are only defending themselves. They bite, defending themselves. They bite if they are stepped on, if they are cornered, disturbed, if you lift the stone from them”, adds Adrian Bîlbă, science doctor.

“The mountain rescuers say that clothing is very important. For example, pants should be as wide as possible on the leg to minimize the risk of a bite in the event of a viper attack. Also, the mountain rescuers say that we must carefully research every place where we put hand or foot on a mountain hike,” reports Claudiu Loghin, Observer reporter.

“It would be good for tourists to have a long stick with them or maybe even telescopic sticks to check the area before crossing and scare these reptiles,” says Cătălin Petrescu, spokesperson for Salvamont Poiana Brașov.

How can you recognize a viper?

The viper is olive in color with a black stripe on the back in a wide zigzag. Remember what it looks like, so you don’t confuse it with another species – it’s good not to be given the viperine serum for nothing, because it is a “tamed” venom, not friendly to the body. Antiviperine serum doses are rare in our country, says a doctor from the county hospital in Târgu Jiu.

“During the past year, three such doses were used. Those from the UPU will request other doses of anti-worm serum if needed”, said Mihaela Țicleanu, Târgu Jiu County Hospital.

Snakes have also multiplied in other countries on the continent. In Croatia, four people arrived at the hospital in the last week, attacked by vipers.