Watch out for snakes! Warning after Welsh dog walker bitten
A Welsh dog walker was left seriously after being bitten by a snake.
Gilly Thomas said the affects of the poisonous nip on her finger last Saturday hit her immediately as she took her pet pooch out.
She was left in “horrendous” pain, was sick and suffered diarrhoea following the incident in Port Eynon, near Swansea.
A reptile expert has warned walkers to be vigilant for snakes when out and about.
It comes after a spate of snake bites in North Wales last summer which saw four children targeted by the venomous reptiles in just three months.
They included 13 year-old Izzi Larkens who was on holiday in Aberdaron in August; eight-year-old Matthew Beetham who was nipped on the foot by an adder near Pwllheli beach in July and Macey Roberts, also aged 13, who was bitten while walking near Pwllheli beach in June.
Speaking about her ordeal Ms Thomas said: “I was walking the dog, not oblivious to my surroundings, and then I stopped to see where the dog was. That’s when I was bitten.
“The effects started pretty quickly. My foot and my lips swelled up and I called 999. Two firefighters came first and then a paramedic.”
Ms Thomas was rushed to Morriston Hospital and given anti-venom before spending two nights in hospital.
Reptile specialist and broadcaster Dr Rhys Jones said adders were peaceful creatures and would only bite humans in very rare circumstances.
The Cardiff University lecturer said: “They are one of the two native snakes that we have in Wales.
“Its numbers are in decline – the loss of their habitat is the main reason. There are fewer and fewer places where they can live.”
Dr Jones said it was their last resort to attack someone or something.
“Most people who get bitten by them do not even see the snake but 99.9% of the time they will just sit there as you walk by,” he added.
“They normally bite people if they accidentally step on them.
“I would say that as a dog walker and animal lover myself to please just be vigilant.
“Make sure you do not lose sight of your dog and maybe keep them on a lead.”
