Fear of snakes

[Bushy Crafter]

On Saturday we were picking acorns from my girlfriend's dad's garden (a decently sized garden taken back by the forest) when her dad warned me to watch out near the twig piles, because he had a couple of adders and grass snakes living in his garden. At this point I instantly froze and could not really focus anymore at the task at hand.

The same happened a while ago when someone mentioned snakebites occuring relatively frequent when people are picking bilberries. No prizes for guessing what we were doing and I suddenly did not feel like doing anymore at all.

I am aware of the statistics and that there is hardly anything to be afraid of, but find it hard to think rational when snakes slither into my mind. My question therefore is how do you deal with the thought of snakes being present? Do you take precautions to minimize risk? (e.g. wear thick boots, or step on fallen logs before stepping over them?)

The funny thing is, I have never seen a snake (except the type that live in water in Hungary). Because of this I wonder whether my fear would be less after seeing a couple of snakes in the wild and see how they respond. My girlfriend has been bitten by a snake before in France, yet hardly has any fear for them at all..

 

[Deaner666]

I find gathering all the facts about something that worries me helps alleviate said worry... unless of course the facts just go to show there really is something to worry about! And even then, forewarned is forearmed.

I think I remember seeing a statistic that said only 11 people had been killed by adder bites in the last 100 years+. People get bitten by them every year but a fatality is incredibly rare. You're at much greater risk getting into a car and driving to work, but because you're so familiar with it, you have over-ridden the fear (remember what if felt like driving a car for the first time though - I bet it was quite scary).

So you know you're actually pretty safe with snakes (in the UK at least), but might still be wary of the pain of a bite. Maybe learning more about adders - their habitats, their activity and lifecycle would give you a different appreciation of them. Snakes are quite fascinating creatures and you might find your curiosity about them will over-ride your fear (again, it's that familiarity thing). If nothing else, knowing more about them will help you recognise where you are likely to stumble across them and where you're not.

If it's any reassurance, I've come across adders many times, including walking into one coiled up monster on Dartmoor who was as surprised as I was - he didn't have time to slither away so reared up like a cobra and hissed at me! Made me jump, but he was still more scared of me than I was of him and turned tail and disappeared at the first opportunity. I still find it a privilege to see one though. I also love seeing grass snakes swimming in our pond, but it's quite a rare occurrence and so again I feel privileged when it happens.

I was in India last year and was sat having breakfast when my partner mentioned she could see a snake coming towards us. I only had time to look before I saw a small, irridescent green snake disappear under my chair. I lifted my legs up and sat stock still and it thankfully carried on its way. I've no idea to this day what sort of snake it was and whether or not it was any danger. It scared me, but it scared me because I didn't have any knowledge of it. So I say again, learn about whatever snakes inhabit your area if you're not in the UK, and you might find it helps get over your fear.

Good luck!

 

[Deaner666]

To be honest, I don't think fear and paranoia have much to do with actual statistics or with the actual risk of dying.

Ah... but you'd be a lot more scared of spiders if you didn't know those statistics... if you thought every spider you saw was potentially fatally poisonous you'd still have your arachnophobic aversion but you'd be genuinely afraid for your life on top of that.

I think an aversion to certain creatures is only natural - an evolutionary protection system, which is why I think learning more about something you are naturally averse to can help alleviate your fear of it (alleviate - not instantly remove).

 

[Bushwhacker]

Lots of people never see any wildlife at all due to heavy/clumsy movement.
Stamp around a bit and let them know you're there and they'll soon slink off elsewhere.

 

[ged]

... find it hard to think rational when snakes slither into my mind. My question therefore is how do you deal with the thought of snakes being present? Do you take precautions to minimize risk? (e.g. wear thick boots, or step on fallen logs before stepping over them?)

I've always liked snakes, I've handled quite a few and I've been bitten by three non-dangerous ones. They have very sharp teeth! They've never given me any more worries than if I'm handling any other unfamiliar animal, that is you don't always know how they're going to respond. To me, a dog's bite is a lot more of a worry than s snake's simply because as has been said, under most conditions most wild animals will clear off rather than stand their ground against a human.

Yes, I do take precautions which would probably prevent snake bites when I'm out and about, but it's to stop the bloomin' insects making a meal of me, not the snakes!

 

[Paul_B]

Speak to JonD about snakes. He's our resident herpetologist.

I think the thing with snakes they only attack large animals like us if surprised and threatened. Well at least the blighters in our country. There are some like the black mamba that by reputation is a nasty snake that attacks without the usual reasons. The snakes will know you are coming before you know they are there and mostly will disappear before confrontation. Plus most snakes (and please correct me if I'm wrong) in this country don't pose that much of a risk to adults. Of course I'd rather no get a bite and I'm sure the snakes would rather not bite me too. I think there is a deal to be had there!!

I agree with above, perception of risk and fear of something is often worse than the reality of the risk to you. If it is irrational fear then it is hard to convince otherwise. Statistics will help with the rational but not the irrational core of the phobia. To cope with that you need coping strategies that work for you. Can't help you with that as I have never had a fear of snakes. First adder I saw I chased it into the scrub to try and catch it. The rest of the family were moving the other way at the time. Mind you I was about 12 and the memory of betrayal over the promise my parents made to me about having a snake for my 10th birthday as a pet was still a sore memory. When I was 6 I got asked what I wanted for Xmas / birthday and I said a pet snake. Rather than saying no straight away they said I ws too young but could have one when I was 10. When I was 9 and 11 months I got the same question and I said snake. They said no and I said "but you said I could when I was 10 years old! Remember? You said that when I was 6!". Cue looks of surprise from parents that I had remembered and a telling off for being cheeky. So as you can tell I don't have fear of snakes. I do fear heights so I know what irrational fear is. That was why I took up climbing!! Seriously if something leaves you weak at the knees do it some more and more until you can manage it. You will never get over your fears but you will manage them. Now just don't show me a centipede or millipede or I'll run a mile screaming like a girl!! That includes a picture of one in a book or one of TV. If one comes on TV I am jumping on the back of my sofa desparately trying to tunr over!!

 

[pango]

Sometimes I think it odd that although I've wandered the hills since I was a boy and have seen adders many times, I can't say I've ever felt fear of them. Neither do I have any reluctance to handle "bugs", although common sense tells me that something like a garden spider the size of my thumb might just have the equipment to defend itself. I hadn't considered the impact of a fear of snakes or bugs on someone who loves the outdoors.

My only encounters with snakes overseas were once at Bombay Heliport, when a workmate and myself were helping children to collect frogs after the monsoon. One of the kids shouted and everyone scattered... except me and my mate, who were wondering what was going on. A girl of about 9 or 10, the bravest of the pack, came and led us out of the water, then pointed to a snake that must have been over 6 feet long. Some years earlier in Nigeria, a very large green snake smacked off the driver's side window of the 4X4 we were travelling in. I don't know what it was and don't want to know, but I swear the driver turned white!

So far as Scotland's concerned, there's a family story of me at the age of three, turning over a stone to discover a seething mass of baby snakes... mythologically, Adders!

I pitched my tent late one night in Lochaber and when lifting it in the morning discovered an opportunistic heat-seeking adder under the groundsheet. But it's only in the last few years I've come to appreciate that adders do pose a potential danger, if not a life threatening one, to some unsuspecting wanderer in remote places.

A couple of years ago a friend of mine followed me as I fished for trout for dinner in a remote Invernessshire glen. His dog started snarling when he went to sit down on a pile of stones and uncharacteristically nipped his hand. He heard a hiss and turned to see an adder rearing as Deaner666 describes.

I did find something quite disturbing when told of an incident that happened at Faindouran bothy in the Cairngorms about a month or so ago. An adder had fallen out of someones sleeping bag when he hung it up to air in the morning.
That tells you more about their reluctance to bite than the danger they pose, though!

Cheers,

Pango.

 

[Paul_B]

I mean they bite for food with defence being very much a last resort sort of a bite. If an adder does bite you it can possibly damage it's fangs or get hurt in some other way since you are so much bigger than it is. IF they're injured or theire fangs are goosed then it means starvation. Whilst they don't have the thought processes like that they have the instincts which I think is to not bite on the whole but to get the hell away as that is the best survival strategy.

Of course I'm no expert but JonD is. Where is he anyway? I'd have thought any thread with snakes in it would have had him posting straight away. Reckon he must be away in the hills with snakes. He has slept with a few I think he once posted on here and he's still ok. Well not seen any posts on here from him for quite some time so....

 

[Bushy Crafter]

Thanks everyone for the replies so far. We have once been babysitting a small snake and I was perfectly fine with that as well and even grew a strange kind of liking to it (as long as I did not have to handle it).

It seems like the people who have no fear have encountered snakes a couple of times in their lives and from an early age onwards. This makes me believe I should just go out and find a snake (preferable before it finds me..).

 

[santaman2000]

I don't know what species you have in Finland but not all snakes are quick to retreat. Over here the water moccasin is an aggressive species (that's rare among snakes though) so it would be best to learn more about your resident (native or invasive) species.

As to precautions, one of the best and easiest is to hike/walk with a walking staff to feel the ground in front before you step. Also it can be used to probe bushes or blind spots before picking berries or reaching in.

As for helping cure your fears; well, learn a few good snake recipes.

 

[andy_pevy]

I find gathering all the facts about something that worries me helps alleviate said worry... unless of course the facts just go to show there really is something to worry about! And even then, forewarned is forearmed.

I think I remember seeing a statistic that said only 11 people had been killed by adder bites in the last 100 years+. People get bitten by them every year but a fatality is incredibly rare. You're at much greater risk getting into a car and driving to work, but because you're so familiar with it, you have over-ridden the fear (remember what if felt like driving a car for the first time though - I bet it was quite scary).

Good luck!

I also seem to remember a statistic that there are more people that die each year of bee stings, than have been killed by adder bites since records began.

Andy

 

[Harvestman]

Of course I'm no expert but JonD is. Where is he anyway? He has slept with a few....

Not fair. I don't think Emma is quite that bad.

 

[bb07]

I must admit I have a certain uneasiness when I see pictures of snakes, or see them at a zoo. I'm actually quite happy that there are no snakes here...

 

[Paul_B]

Not fair. I don't think Emma is quite that bad.

That is NOT what I meant at all. Emma always comes across as really pleasant whenever I've seen her comments. I meant when out on a survey or something.
You could get me into trouble snipping my comments like that!! Funny though.

 

[Paul_B]

My posts were kind of UK centred. Keep forgetting sometimes that this is a popular site among people from all over. Really not sure about Finnish snake species so like someone said DO check out your native species and if there are any imports of concern too. Over here there were reports of a population of false black widdow spiders for example. Whilst not as dangerous as the real black widows they do have a toxin in their bite that can make you really unwell. There are a few examples of imports in many different species and not all of them were brought over for some rich landowner a hundred years or more ago like N American Ruddy ducks (interbreeding with European version), grey squirrels and many others.

 

[JonathanD]

Someone call...

In short, don't worry about it. Adders will be long gome with people mooching about picking things up. They'll see you before you see them. If you really want to be 100% certain that any that may have been there are scared off, then gently beat the undergrowth with a stick before you go in. Even the bravest adder will flee at that. The bilberry picking anecdote is also just that, an anecdote to be taken with a sack of salt. Most people bitten by adders are trying to pick them up or messing with them. It's quite rare to get a bite just by mooching about, even on the ankle when walking.

Venomous snakes are reluctant to bite, not because they are worried about damaging fangs (they have many in reserve growing just behind the main two, which take their place quickly), but because venom takes valuable energy to produce. They can and will strike readily when cornered though, some individuals more than others. Like us and other animals, they do have individual personalities and moods.

Finnish snake species are pretty much the same as ours with the venomous snake being Vipera berus, the adder.

Remember folks, no spider or snake is poisonous.

 

[JonathanD]

That is NOT what I meant at all. Emma always comes across as really pleasant whenever I've seen her comments.

Yes I don't think Emma is quite that bad.

Are you two talking about the same Emma, my Emma? If so, you must have those rose tinted glasses on again.

 

[nuggets]

I used to have a grass snake as pet when i was a kid ,can handle them now if i had too - but all them venomous snakes put the sh*ts right up me, just watching them on TV - not sure i could handle one of these either - crushed ribs any one ???

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/briton-catches-18ft-anaconda-in-south-america.html

 

[mrcharly]

Snakes give me the creeps. Even pictures of them give me the creeps.

But then I grew up in rural Western Australia, in an area that had dugites and tiger snakes. Finding 6ft dugites outside the back door was common, tiger snakes were all over. We learned not to step near anything that could harbour a snake; woodpiles, bushes, a bit of long grass.

 

[Deaner666]

I also seem to remember a statistic that there are more people that die each year of bee stings, than have been killed by adder bites since records began.

Hah! I keep bees too I got stung in the throat a couple weeks ago - it did swell up and make it difficult to swallow for a couple of hours...