On the occasion of the incident with the unfortunate woman in Thessaloniki, who was bitten by a viper when she was asked to remove her from school, the WWF published information about vipers and snakes in general in Greece, as well as instructions on what to do if you see them. encounters even if they bite you.

According to the environmental organization, detailed instructions and all snakes as well as the other reptiles of Greece are registered on the reliable herpetological site herpetofauna.gr.

The snakes that have poison in our country are the pit viper, the rattlesnake and the vipers. The first two have venom in their back teeth so it is very difficult to bite in a way that would inject venom into a human.

Regarding vipers, there are five species that exist in Greece, but only one, Vipera ammodytes, spreads throughout the country.

The… misunderstood vipers

In particular, vipers are slow snakes and if they feel threatened they stay still so as not to be noticed and then move away as quickly as possible to avoid danger.

If someone gets close enough, they begin to hiss loudly (hissing) and curl up in a defensive position, while they are ready to use their last defense, the bite, if they are approached at a distance of less than half a meter.

Vipers will never attack unless someone grabs them or comes close to them, unless they feel a direct threat to their life. But even in this case they are more likely to bite “dry”, i.e. without injection of venom, as a warning only.

What to do if we get bitten by a snake

According to WWF: There is no way to be sure that we have removed snakes from our site forever. But we can focus on what attracts them, taking the necessary steps to avoid them and protect ourselves. The most common reasons that a snake will find itself inside our house or in another closed space are either because it has discovered a source of food, or because it wants to find a hiding place to rest.

Finally, according to the organization, due to the composition of snake venom in Greece, after a poisonous bite we have more than enough time to visit a hospital in time for first aid.

An exception is the case of a bite on the neck or head, due to the fact that during the formation of swelling, an obstruction of the respiratory tract may be caused, as is the case of an anaphylactic reaction, as happened to the woman in Thessaloniki.