ira

Hi db,

The major reason that there are so few snakes in Scotland is that the native Haggis keeps the population under control.

lucielou

Author: OReilly
Date: 07/03/2006, 11:51 pm
“This snake is found all over Europe ..”: a slight correction Enzian. There are NO snakes in Ireland, if one is willing to ignore those engaged in politics.


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I love it
This made me smile

Maria_H

In my almost 50 years of life in the UK, I've seen snakes only a few times and never seen them as a threat. I saw one in Kent as a teenager and I've seen them a couple of times on Anglesey - each of these times the snake was basking on a rock and slithered off, as I approached for a closer look. We saw one when climbing Ben Nevis, when my daughter was about 10 - she jumped about 3 feet into the air and I think she must have scared the poor thing (which was little bigger than a shoelace) half to death!

I was told that an adder's bite is about 3 times worse than a bee sting and though painful, is unlikely to kill anyone unless they have a heart condition, etc. More likely it's a dog that gets bitten as they tend to attack the snake. I've never met anyone who has been bitten by a snake in the UK - most have never even seen one.

enzian

OK---I've been corrected twice, and of course I know there are no snakes in Ireland (St. Pat and all that). I should have said "continental Europe".

richardsonsnm

dbaker: i have been reading posts here for years and i must admit, this is the most ridiculous ever.

noe847

Of course the time available to be bitten by snakes is inversely proportionate to the time you are driving in your car.

almcd

The result of being attacked by 100000 midgies in Scotland is far worse than any snake bite. At least snakes can't get up your nose or in your ears.

dbaker

And since I will be in the car so much (wink, wink) I won't get bitten! Seriously, thanks for the info. We always camp in Yosemite above 8000 feet to avoid the rattlesnakes found at the lower elevations. I feel much more at ease knowing that the possibility of seeing any snakes is rare. Thank you so much for the good info.

sheila

I have a feeling you've already left, but just in case anyone else is reading thisbr />
I have walked EVERYWHERE in Scotland (not literally, you understand, but every single type of terrain) and in my 49 and a bit years I have seen 2 adders. Who were much more scared of me than I of them. Truly a non-issue.

dbaker

That is good to know. The reason I asked the question is because the hills near my home in So. Calif are full of rattlesnakes. We routinely see them slithering across the roads and have encountered them many times hiking - and had a few close calls. We have had some recent deaths from bites this last spring, so I wanted to know what to expect as we wonder around the paths in Scotland. Whether or not we needed to be as careful as at home or not. Sounds like it won't be a problem and thanks for letting me know.