In the spring nature comes to life with the first warm days of sunshine. Snakes are perhaps the most controversial and misunderstood of the creatures who share our environment. When they emerge from their winter hiding places in our fields and woodlands, they arouse fear in many humans. A better understanding of snake behaviour can help to allay unnecessary fears. In Dalmatia and Istria the snakes may appear from March onwards. Being cold-blooded, they are quite sluggish after hibernating for several months over the winter, and their main aim is to warm up their bodies in the sun in order to activate their metabolism. Naturally, after this, they focus on finding food and a partner to mate with.
There are 15 species of snake in Croatia, with the majority living in the Mediterranean region, fewer inland. Only three are venomous, transmitting poison through their bite: the Horned Viper (vipera ammodytes, Croatian poskok), Common Adder (vipera berus, Croatian riđovka) and Meadow Viper, also known as Orsini's Viper (vipera ursinii, Croatian planinski žutokrug). Of the three the Horned Viper is the best known and considered the most dangerous. It is recognizable by the horn on the tip of its nose and the zig-zag pattern along its body.
The Common Adder, which is smaller than the Horned Viper, favours a damp habitat. It lives mostly in northern parts of Croatia, in mountainous meadows and the edges of forests. It has the distinctive zig-zag pattern on its back and its colour varies from grey (males) to reddish-brown (females). The Meadow Viper is the smallest of the three and lives exclusively on high mountain grasslands such as the Dinaric and Velebit mountain ranges. It can be grey, tan or yellowish and has a marked dark undulating stripe along its back. It is rarely seen and is considered to be in danger of extinction.
All Croatia's other snakes are completely harmless or semi-poisonous and their bite does not carry any potential dangerous consequences for humans.
About snake bites
Boris Lauš, a well-known herpetologist from Zagreb, who is an expert on herpetofauna, entomofauna and their habitats with the 'Hyla' Association (link in Croatian), is reassuring: "Snakes are not aggressive by nature and will never attack a human without a reason. They only use their bite as a last resort for self-defence when they find themselves cornered or are accidentally stepped on. Our fear of snakes is largely based on ignorance. Once you learn to recognise the different types of snake and their behaviours, fear is replaced by respect towards these fascinating predators who keep a balance in our woodlands and fields."
Practical advice for avoiding snake bites:
Snakes generally hide and keep away from humans. However, from springtime onwards, there is always a chance of coming across a snake outdoors. Remember, most snake encounters end with the snake moving away as quickly as possible, so long as it is not harmed or threatened. The following advice will help you to avoid any possible unwelcome incidents with snakes in gardens, fields, scrubland or woodland - it is particularly important for children to be taught proper behaviour in nature, as venomous snake bites can be specially dangerous for them.
▪ Clothing: wear firm shoes and long trousers; work-gloves and long-sleeved shirt.
▪ Use a stick for warning: Boris Lauš tells us that snakes do not hear sounds like us, but they do feel vibrations on the ground. Tapping the ground with a stick as you walk is usually enough to make any nearby snakes disappear into their hiding places, even before you see them.
▪ If you stop to rest: take care to check for the presence of snakes before sitting on a stone or fallen tree. Do not put your hand in or over a gap in a stone wall, or reach into a thick bush.
What should you do if you are unlucky enough to get bitten?
Panic is your worst enemy in the case of a snake bite. Keep calm and do the following:
1. If the bite is on your arm or leg, keep the injured part still (as for a broken limb).
2. Do not restrict the circulation by bandaging the affected limb.
3. Do not cut into the wound or try to suck out the poison.
4. Seek medical care as quickly as possible. It is very rare for an adder bike to be fatal, especially in a healthy adult person, but you should still be treated in hospital under specialist guidance.
The law looks after the natural environment (and your wallet)
Biologists, scientists and environmentalists all assert that snakes are really key in the ecosystem because they control disease-carrying vermin. In Croatia all snakes are strictly protected by law. Disturbing them on purpose, killing them or destroying their habitats are all crimes which carry strong punishments.
If individuals break the Law for Environmental Protection, fines range from 929,61€ up to 3.984,06€ (previously 7,000 to 30,000 kunas), while for legal entites the fines can be as high as 26,560€ (previously 200.000 kunas). So we really have to understand that we do not own the environment, we live in it as guests like all other creatures. That is why there is a Regulation governing the level of compensation for harm (the so-called 'compensation price list').
This means that if you kill a snake, the State can fine you for each one. For instance for a Hoirned Viper or Common Adder the fine is currently 530.89€, while for a Meadow Viper the amount is 1,990.84€ because it is so rare. For killing our most beautiful European Ratsnake (or known as a Leopard Snake, Latin Zamenis situla) the fine is 265,45€, and for other strictly protected nonvenomous snakes the fines range mainly from 132.72 to 265.45€.
It should be noted that killing a snake deliberately or out of spite can be treated as a criminal offence under the Criminal Code. Article 205 states that the punishment can be a prison sentence of one year, up to two years if the killing was for selfish reasons with no justification.
Show respect, don't be afraid!
