Snakes in the Rain
Samuel L Jackson may have to deal with the perils of giant snakes on an aeroplane, but I’m sure even he would have blanched at the prospect of finding reptiles this past week, so dreadful has the weather been. Last week was Heath Week 2009 and may I take this opportunity to commend all of you brave parents, grandparents and children who pulled on waterproofs and ignored the forecast, to enjoy the Heath Week Festival on Sunday. In previous years we have attracted in the region of 150 – 200 people to this event; in Sunday’s persistent drizzle we welcomed almost 500 people onto the Common!
Such is the mood at present. Its the summer holidays, money is tight; if there’s an event to take the family to we’re going – regardless of the weather! And good on you I say, where have you all been? As has been printed in this column on numerous occasions before: There’s no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing.
So the festival day, with its host of participatory events for all the family (as was advertised on the posters) was a screaming success. The prospect of leading a reptile ramble in such poor weather, on the other hand, was not something I was relishing.
I love reptiles. I have been interested in herpetology (the study of reptiles and amphibians) since I was a small boy, and my enthusiasm has only grown with time and understanding. It would seem that my enthusiasm is shared too, as the Reptile Rambles I lead are often jam packed. Seventy people on a single morning I think was a record, which in retrospect was a few too many. A considerable number of people had expressed an interest in the Heath Week ramble and so my colleague, Diane, was drafted in to help with crowd control! Then the dreaded Met Office forecast was given and I expected a wash-out.
How wrong I was. In spite of the rain, forty people joined Diane and I to check the reptile traps on Fire Beacon Hill Local Nature Reserve. I gave a somewhat pessimistic forecast of our chances of seeing anything, due to the weather conditions, and we set off. My predictions were indeed pessimistic, as our investigations uncovered a total of three beautiful adult adders, desperately attempting to warm themselves under the leaden skies.
As the conditions allowed, and with a great deal of explicit imploring to not copy my lead, I handled the first adder we came across. The reasons, as I explained at the time, were three-fold: The snake seemed fittingly drowsy due to the cold; I know how to hold snakes safely; and finally I was so relieved to have found something and so impressed with everyone fortitude, I wanted their efforts to be rewarded with a really good view of our most attractive snake. You try getting 40 people a good view of a shy animal which only measures 65 centimetres!
I explained the dangers that the animal possessed, but I also showed that these snakes are not to be feared; only respected. The adder made no attempt to bite me, even when handled, and I returned it unscathed and non the worse for the encounter, leaving 40 people inspired with a new-found admiration for this much-vilified reptile. Some people may accuse me of recklessness, but I think the pros outweighed the cons on this occasion and I stand by the decision.
I remember having the same concerns when handling a grass snake for a group, as I worried that they might emulate this and get bitten; even worse that they might misidentify the snake and attempt to pick up an adder. But upon reflection, I’ve come to this conclusion. I explain fully the dangers which the snake holds (in the case of the grass snake this just means letting people smell the foul liquid produced when handled) and I insist that people should not attempt to emulate what they see me do without prior training and experience. I also explain that 90% of hospital admissions with snake bite in the UK are located on the hand or heel, where the snake is either accidentally trodden on or recklessly handled. After that, the decision to take the risk – as with other risky things in we are faced with like using a sharp knife or getting in a car – is left with the individual. After all, my lifelong passion with all things creepy and crawly was underpinned as a ten year old boy by crawling through the woods and heaths picking up anything which took my interest, snakes included.
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I received a query this week about adders from an Exmouth resident, which considering its connection to this week’s column I have reproduced here below with kind permission.
Dear James
We follow your articles in Exmouth Journal. We've seen an adder in long grass in our garden and are rather worried with grandchildren coming in August. It's a brown snake, not very big, with a definite V on the head. Any advice please? we'd be so grateful.
Best wishes, Anna Watts (Exmouth)
Hi Anna,
Your description does indeed sound like an adder, a small brown snake with a ‘V’ on the back of the head. It is very possible for these shy snakes to find suitable habitat in gardens around Exmouth. Before I go any further I must say that due to years of human persecution adder numbers are very low nationally, and they are therefore a fully protected species in UK law; it is an offence to disturb or destroy them or any other UK snake.
Adders are very shy creatures and it is unlikely for children and these snakes to come into contact, as children's natural boisterousness tends to frighten the snakes off well before they come close to each other. There is nothing you can really do to rid your garden of adders if they are there, but I would urge you that you do not need to!
There are probably tens of thousands of gardens throughout the country in which adders can be found, but in which the garden owners are unaware of their presence and continue with life without giving it a second thought. I would simply warn your grandchildren to look out for adders and if they do see one in the garden, to not approach it!
As responsible adults, I would also pay particular attention if the weather is cold and the snakes might not be as quick to get into cover if disturbed.
But the long and short of it is, if I were lucky enough to have a garden with adders, I would have no concern about my young daughter playing in the garden, as long as she were able to understand not to attempt to pick one up.
I hope this goes some way to reassuring you, please do contact me again for any further information.
Best wishes
James