The beginning of hot weather in Israel means snake season has begun.
Israel is home to 42 different species of snakes, only 9 of which are poisonous, and all are protected by Israel’s wildlife laws.
The poisonous varieties are: Palestine Viper, Lebanon Viper, Saw-Scaled Viper, Persian Horned Viper, Snake-Mole Viper, Black Desert Cobra, and Horned Viper.
Palestinian viper: By ערן פינקל – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4923567
There have been four cases of snakebite in the country in as many days this week. This is something that is always in the back of my mind come summer.
But if I was bitten by a snake, would I know what to do? Mmmm, not so much.
First of all, there some precautions one can and should take to prevent snake bite:
- If you must hike through bushes, tall grasses or anywhere where you cannot see where you are placing your feet, bang the ground with your hiking poles ahead of every step. Snakes can’t hear but they feel the vibrations through the ground and if you give them warning, they will avoid you.
- When you stop for a rest, check under any rocks you might intend to sit on as well as in the trees overhead.
My knowledge of snake bite response was gleaned, if memory serves, from an episode of Little House on the Prairie and involved cutting the bite open (ackkk!) and sucking out the poison. But apparently this response can do more harm than good.
So what IS the correct response?
- Call for medical assistance immediately. The number for MDA (emergency services) is 101. There is also a MDA app called “My MDA” which is good to have on your phone. The app has a “hot button” direct dial which will put you through to them without having to remember that 101 number – which, as an American, does not come naturally to me and certainly wouldn’t under stressful circumstances.
- Walk 20-30 feet away from the snake, sit down and remain calm and hydrated.
- Remove any rings, watches or tight clothing from the bitten limb.
- If making contact with emergency services is not possible, walk slowly to get help. Drink some water and take some calories if you have any. Some snake bite victims walk several miles after serious snake bites to their legs. They make it out fine because they made it out to medical care. This is much better than waiting for help if you can’t reach anyone. Don’t let the fear of “raising your heart rate and increasing the speed of venom circulation” prevent you from moving to get to care.
Let’s be prepared and hope we never need to put this information to use.
On another related note, we were on a family vacation years ago, driving down a remote 2-lane road when in the distance I saw this odd animal scurry across the road. We were too far away to see it well but it had a long, low body, long tail, short stubby legs at each end of the long body and was covered with shaggy fur. I wondered about that animal for a long time and finally after many internet searches, worked out that it was a mongoose.
I know bear. I know deer. I know raccoons. But mongoose??
Last week, I saw one scurry across a busy road near where I live. Mongoose feed on snakes so if you see a mongoose, wish him “happy hunting”.