Close encounters with a french serpent and what to do if it happens to you

Recently, a friend in the Pyrénées-Orientales was weeding her strawberry patch in the garden and sat down to rest on a spare pile of plastic netting, fortunately quite a large pile. She

suddenly felt movement under the pile and leapt up, and to her horror realised that there was a very large snake entwined in the netting, unable to react as it was so entangled. Calling her

husband they tried to free the animal, for which effort he was painfully bitten on the hand.  They knew perfectly well that the safe place to handle a (possibly venomous) snake was close to

the head, but it was very difficult to control being a large and strong snake, and so entangled that they could not see it. Leaving the snake where it was they sought medical help for the

bite: cleaning the wound, checking that his tetanus was up-to-date and receiving antibiotics. EXPERT CALLED IN We have a mutual friend, Daniel, who is a herpetologist, and in the morning he

was called over to deal with the problem.  Many years ago as a young man he collected wild adders (Vipère aspic) and sent them to Paris to the Pasteur Institute where the venom was harvested

in order to produce antivenin that was then stocked in selected hospitals for treatment after snake bites.  This is no longer done with wild specimens, but with captive ones in farms where

they can be periodically milked after the venom has built up again. The species in my friend’s garden turned out to be a Montpellier snake (Couleuvre de Montpellier).  There is a marked

difference in appearance of this species.  The male is generally larger, shades of olive, brown or grey above with a yellowish underside.  Females have a mottled coloration with shades of

black or white or yellowish on a light brown background, and they are more slender. Even though this was an impressive size, one metre twenty centimetres long, they can be much bigger,

growing to over two metres in length.  Whilst it has the round eyes that are typical of grass snakes – a viper’s eyes are vertical slits – it is slightly venomous, and should be handled with

care and only in an emergency. Read more: Snakes in France: what kinds are there, where and what to do if bitten It is illegal to handle snakes in France if you do not have a licence. If

you are not capable of doing this, it is advisable to call in a herpetologist, a vet, a rescue centre or the local firemen (sapeur/pompier), someone who has experience enough to know the

difference between a grass snake and a viper. COOLING SNAKE DOWN CAN HELP It is important not to harm the snake – they are very useful in controlling rodents, but their main prey are

lizards. In the photo, above, Daniel Guerineau can be seen cutting the snake free with a pair of scissors whilst holding it securely with the other hand.  He advises that if the snake is

very large and therefore strong it is possible to put it, still wrapped in some of the netting, in a closed soft cloth bag and put it in the fridge overnight.  In the morning whilst it is

still cool the snake will be completely sleepy and so easy to cut free and released back into the place where it was found.  Snakes are mainly active during the day and need to warm up in

the morning sunlight by thermoregulation before they can move fast enough to hunt. SNAKE UNHARMED Once freed from the net Daniel was able to examine it for injuries.  He also gently prised

open its mouth with a pair of plastic forceps to the backward facing teeth which contain the venom.  Only a person foolish enough to actually put their fingers into the snake’s mouth (it has

happened, one wonders why) would be then injected with the toxins. This tooth can be clearly seen in the photo above, although it should be stressed that the toxicity is fairly mild, and

probably only a very large specimen would be capable of giving a bite.  Montpellier snakes are not aggressive, and are not particularly persecuted by man, which makes finding them fairly

common along the southern Mediterranean and North Africa (despite its name, its natural range is not limited to the south of France). I have found a dead one fifty miles inland, which is

about the limit of its range, says Daniel.  It is not the first time that Daniel has been called in for this sort of rescue, but he has never come across a viper in a similar situation. 

Daniel, a keen gardener, advises pinning down the edges of netting and either cutting away the excess or putting it in a sealed sack.  Read more: Obligatory garden clearance in France: New

campaign clarifies who is impacted Sometimes birds get trapped under the net, and a snake might be drawn to an easily captured prey. In this instance both the snake and the gardener were

lucky, and once freed the snake was released back into the garden, where it rapidly slid off safety. When it comes to other snakes, such as vipers, some in France are not so lucky, with up

to 1,000 snake bites being recorded each year.  Read more: Snake bites sleeping tourist in Pau after sliding into his T-shirt