In the summer we often go out of town - we spend time in the country, relax by the ponds, go to the forest for mushrooms and berries. Being in nature, you should remember to be careful. Snake activity begins in most regions of Russia in late spring and lasts until autumn. Be careful - despite the fact that the snake does not attack first and always tries to crawl away from a potential danger for itself, the person who disturbed her is not immune from a bite. How to behave in nature and what to do in case of a snake bite, Yegor Safrygin, director of the marketing department "Medicine" of the AlfaStrakhovanie Group, will tell.

Snakes are cold-blooded creatures and their body temperature depends on the temperature of the environment. If the external temperature drops, then the temperature of the snake drops to a state of suspended animation, that is, hibernation. As a rule, snakes feel the approach of frost, so they find a place for wintering underground in advance. In the spring they crawl out. In central Russia, this most often occurs in the second half of April. The snakes are most aggressive during the breeding season, which falls in the middle of summer. But even at this time, the snake does not pursue the goal of attacking a person, since the poison it produces, if we are talking about poisonous snakes, it accumulates primarily for hunting and killing animals that serve as food for it: small rodents, chicks, frogs, lizards. The reason for the attack of a snake on a person is one - self-defense. The venom of snakes is toxic, it causes a powerful allergic reaction in the victim, which can be fatal. The bite of non-venomous snakes is dangerous with infections that may be present in the oral cavity of the reptile.

In Russia, the most common types of snakes include vipers, muzzles, snakes, viper snakes, snakes. From childhood, we know that snakes are not poisonous, and this snake can be distinguished by bright spots on its head. However, in life, when meeting with reptiles, few people have time to examine the animal well. If the bite is avoided, most of us will prefer to retreat from the "meeting point" without spending time getting to know each other better.

You can meet a snake both in the forest and in the summer cottage, a dense forest or an open field is not of great interest to them, but no matter how sparsely populated you are, do not lose vigilance and always look under your feet.

To minimize the consequences of meeting with a snake, it is important to follow the standard rules for visiting the forest:

Do not go into the forest in open clothes and shoes;
Wear high boots made of dense materials or rubber boots that a snake cannot bite through;
If you notice a snake, do not touch it, calmly move away in the opposite direction;
When picking berries and mushrooms, before going into the grass and bending down to the ground, move the vegetation around with a stick;
If the viper noticed you before you noticed it, it can indicate its presence with a hiss - be careful;
Take an antihistamine (anti-allergic) drug with you to the forest.

If bitten by a snake:

Contrary to popular belief, serpentologists (specialists in the study of snakes) argue that it is unnecessary to suck out the poison. The venom contains the enzyme hyaluronidase, which removes the venom from the bite point almost instantly. Manipulations like suction or incisions can lead to additional unpleasant consequences.
Do not apply a tourniquet to the injured limb. The poison can cause tissue necrosis, and with a tourniquet you will focus it in one place.
Viper venom is not strong enough for a healthy adult to die, despite this, the victim should seek medical help as soon as possible for the administration of a serum that will alleviate the symptoms;
The poison is excreted from the body through the kidneys, so you need to drink more. Use any diuretic;
Never drink alcohol;
Keep calm.

Symptoms after a snake bite:

Headache
Vomit
Diarrhea
Weakness, chills
Elevated temperature
Confusion and loss of consciousness
Bleeding of mucous membranes
Severe swelling of the affected limb

The main condition for a quick recovery after a snake bite is the correct and timely treatment. And if you want to protect your summer cottage from snakes from snakes, clear it as much as possible - remove garbage, rotten boards, fallen branches, etc., thereby depriving snakes of possible secluded places.

The Moscow region is experiencing an invasion of vipers. The bites of these snakes can be fatal, the Moscow Region government warns.

"The population of the only species of poisonous snakes in the Moscow region - the common viper - has been steadily growing since the mid-1990s. Cases of human bites, sometimes fatal, have also become more frequent," they note on the official website of the government of the Moscow region. "Meanwhile, in the arsenal of Russian doctors there is no suitable antidote." Therefore, the Moscow Region authorities explain, the consequences of treating the bites of this snake are sometimes more serious than the consequences of the bite itself could be.

Experts specify that vipers spread in foci: you can live just a few kilometers from the place of their mass accumulation and never meet snakes. This habitat is due to the presence of places for wintering. In addition, vipers are quite secretive and cautious. And although they do not hear the sound propagated in the air, they perfectly recognize the vibrations of the soil, that is, they feel the steps. But in order for the viper to attack a person on its own, you need to step right on it, representatives of the Ministry of Emergency Situations say.

And yet, in recent years, the number of snakes themselves and, as a result, bites, has increased dramatically. Experts explain this by a decrease in agricultural activity (the soils are not cultivated and turn into a swamp suitable for snakes). On the other hand, people are increasingly exploring the habitats of vipers themselves: dachas and cottages are being intensively built, the recreational zone of Moscow and other cities is expanding. In addition, a natural increase in the abundance of this species is now observed (which is quite consistent with the sinusoid of abundance for any species - this is a natural process).

In the Vladimir region, snakes began to wake up from hibernation.

The Regional State Hunting Inspectorate warns on its website that the common viper activity season has begun in the 33rd region, which usually lasts until October.
The warning recommends walking into the forest in rubber boots and thick clothing. If snakes are found, do not approach them, do not touch them, avoid any contact. In the event of a snake bite, you must immediately contact a medical institution.
Only three species of snakes live on the territory of the Vladimir region: snake, copperhead and viper.
Of these, only the viper is poisonous and its poison is dangerous to humans. The viper can be distinguished by its black color.

It is very similar to a viper, but it has yellow marks on its head.

Previously, it was believed that the copperhead was also poisonous, but scientists removed undeserved accusations from this representative of a small genus of the already shaped family. Copperfish poison is dangerous only for lizards, mice, frogs and other small living creatures. The fact is that it belongs to back-furrowed snakes from the snake family (sometimes it is even called smooth snake). The poisonous teeth of the copperhead are deep in the mouth, so it cannot bite a person with them. Yes, and she has very little poison, since the poisonous glands are not large. A person can suffer from copperhead only if he puts his finger down her throat.
Not a single reliable case of people being affected by copperhead poison has been recorded. Even the selection of poison from the copperhead is accompanied by great difficulties. A bite with small front, non-venomous teeth is completely safe. All the myths about the poisonousness of copperheads are obviously related to the fact that among the vipers there are sometimes individuals in color very similar to them.

The activity of vipers in our region falls on May-June, at this time they begin a period of activity and mating games. When meeting a person, the snake, as a rule, tries to hide. When threatened, it takes active defense: hisses, makes threatening throws and the most dangerous bite-throws, which are most easily provoked by a moving object. Therefore, it is better not to make sudden movements during a direct meeting with a viper.
For humans, the bite of an ordinary viper is considered potentially dangerous, but it rarely leads to death, although there have been cases of death.
If the viper is still bitten, you need to see a doctor. After a bite, you need to disinfect the wound, apply a sterile bandage, which, as edema develops, is periodically loosened so that it does not cut into soft tissues. To slow down the spread of poison in the body, it is recommended to limit the mobility of the victim. Do not apply a tourniquet above the bite site. And no alcohol, which is not an antidote, but, on the contrary, will make it difficult to remove the poison from the body, and enhance its effect. REPTILIA CLASS (REPTILES) - REPTILIA

ORDER SCALE - SQUAMATA

Suborder SNAKE - SERPENTES

Viper family - Viperidae

COMMON ASPER - Vipera berus

Distribution and abundance. This snake has a very large range in Russia, from its western borders to Sakhalin and the Ussuri region. Here it occupies almost the entire European part, and beyond the Urals its area of distribution runs in a wide strip through the central and southern regions of Western and Eastern Siberia. The viper is common, but, as a rule, not numerous in all areas of the Novosibirsk and Tomsk regions. Most often it is found in the pine-pine forest landscape, in clearings. On them, its number rises to 0.2 thousand individuals per square meter. km. There is very little of it in the birch-aspen forests, and this snake comes across even less often in the fields with copses. Within the Tomsk region, the viper prefers areas on the border between dry and wet habitats. It avoids solid forests, central areas of marshes, areas intensively visited by people. The number of vipers is high along the outskirts of swamps, in clearings and clearings, in the valleys of taiga rivers. The average density of snakes is 0.09 individuals/ha, the total number is 300.5 thousand individuals.

Biotopes. In the forest and forest-steppe zone, this snake prefers mixed forests, with clearings, lives in abundance in swamps and overgrown burnt areas, and is found along the banks of rivers and streams. It is distributed unevenly, forming high-density clusters in certain areas - “snake pockets”, while being absent in neighboring, large areas. Most likely, they are associated with the availability of places suitable for wintering. Vipers are always associated with woody vegetation, but prefer edges, clearings, peat bogs and the banks of reservoirs. They also inhabit abandoned forest human settlements. Vipers in their habitats are sedentary and do not move further than 100 m. The territory of one snake is usually up to 3-4 hectares.

Activity. The distribution of activity in them is largely related to the temperature regime. In spring, vipers keep to well-heated places, warm soil, heated stones are all used for heating, climb onto stumps under direct sunlight. The optimum temperature for males is 25 ° C, for females - 28 ° C. Snakes crawl out to warm themselves many times during the daytime, and at dusk their activity is already associated with hunting. They are usually most active in the first half of the night. Well-fed snakes may not leave their shelter for 2-3 days. In the Tomsk region in spring and autumn, snakes are active from 11 am to 5 pm, in summer from 8 am to 9 pm. In summer, there are two peaks of activity: morning - from 9 to 12 hours, evening - from 16 to 17 hours. Nocturnal activity of vipers is not noted here.

Nutrition. Young vipers feed on insects. They eat a lot of locusts and beetles, to a lesser extent they eat caterpillars, ants, slugs and earthworms. Often they catch frogs on the banks of reservoirs. The basis of the diet of adult vipers is primarily small rodents. These are common forest species of voles - red and red, as well as dark voles and mice. In the same place, but to a lesser extent, they catch moor and Siberian frogs. In spring and in the first half of summer, birds are the mass food of this snake, these are chicks of warblers, skates, and buntings. Their snakes are mined from nests located on the ground. Young and adults molt in the summer quite often - 1-2 times a month. Although poisonous, vipers are food for many animals. They are eaten by snake-eagles, owls, less often storks and even cranes. Can cope with a viper and a hedgehog. These snakes are eaten by badgers, foxes and ferrets.

Wintering. Common vipers hibernate at a depth of 40 cm to 2 m, trying to settle below the freezing zone. Most often they use rodent burrows for this. It happens that they settle down for the winter under haystacks, in cracks in the soil or in cavities left by rotten roots. The temperature in the wintering place never drops to 0 ° C. They go to winter in September, if the autumn is warm - early October. They winter singly or in small groups, but in especially convenient places they found clusters of up to 300 individuals. Wintering ends depending on the conditions of spring in April - May.

Reproduction. After leaving wintering after 2 - 4 weeks, mating of vipers occurs, and, in the northern part of the range, they do not breed annually. In females, a false live birth is observed, and the cubs feed not only at the expense of the nutrients of the egg, but also using the mother's circulatory system. The period of development of eggs lasts about 3 months, in the offspring 8 - 12 cubs. They are born in the second half of summer (from July to the end of September). Large up to 16 cm cubs keep together, defend themselves, hiss and bite in case of danger. Their bites are already poisonous. Female vipers become sexually mature at the age of five, reaching a length of 52-54 cm, and males - at the age of four with a body length of 47 cm. The life expectancy of these snakes is up to about 15 years. The fertility of females in the middle taiga is 9 (3-16), the southern taiga is 8 (7-9). The venom of the common viper has a pronounced hemolytic effect, it destroys blood cells and the walls of small capillaries. On the territory of the Novosibirsk region, these snakes are caught quite regularly to obtain poison. The viper is poisonous, but peaceful. There are very rare cases of people dying from her bite, and even then, usually death did not come from a bite, but from his “treatment”. The venom of this snake is used to create many medicinal preparations. In nurseries, the common viper lives poorly, there are problems with feeding, because this snake, as a rule, refuses to eat in captivity.

Lord, forgive, save and save us sinners!

The inhabitants of Armenia are attacked by snakes.

July 22, 2010, mirtv.ruThere are more than 20 species of reptiles in the republic. Strong heat forces reptiles to seek coolness in people's homes. In the last few days alone, 40 bites have been registered. In the event of a bite from the most poisonous of them, gyurza, only antigyurzine can help.

They are equipped with outpatient clinics and ambulances. Moreover, doctors advise you to always have an ampoule of such a drug with you. However, it is not affordable for everyone. One injection of antigyurzine will cost the victim more than 250 US dollars.

“Snakes are active in the spring. The summer heat affects them too, so you need to be extremely careful near water bodies, rivers, lakes, where snakes tend to because of the heat, ”advises Commander of the 4th Group of the Special Rescue Squad Hambartsum Vartumyan.

This summer, a case of a bite of a gyurza with a fatal outcome has already been recorded. A 22-year-old young man died in the vicinity of the village of Garni. After being bitten by a snake, he was taken to a rural outpatient clinic, but there was no antigyurzin there.

Because of the heat, the snakes began to attack the inhabitants of the Moscow region.

17. 07. 2010, Interfax, K. Iskeev. In the Moscow region, the number of requests for medical help related to snake bites has sharply increased. In particular, the situation escalated in the city of Klin, where the number of such appeals almost doubled.

Mostly people suffer from viper bites, according to the website of the government of the Moscow region. If last year citizens were bitten eight times, then only in the first half of 2010, according to official appeals, there were already 12 such citizens.

According to veterinarians, the increase in snake activity is directly related to the abnormally hot weather that has settled in central Russia. Doctors strongly recommend that in case of a bite, immediately contact the nearest medical institution, where a special serum will be administered to the victim.

Recall that viper venom can be deadly to humans, but its amount released in one bite is usually not enough to be fatal. However, meeting with her threatens with dizziness, lethargy, headache, nausea and shortness of breath.

Common viper. A species of venomous snakes of the genus Real vipers of the viper family, often found in Europe and Asia. Unlike other members of the family, it prefers lower temperatures, occurring either at higher latitudes (up to the Arctic Circle) or high in the mountains (reaching 3000 meters in the Swiss Alps).

The Ministry of Emergency Situations of Pskov warns residents.

July 23, 2010, pravdapskov.ru The aggressiveness of snakes and the number of cases of their attacks on humans has sharply increased. Usually a viper can be seen on the border between a forest and a meadow, near a river or in swamps, but the unusually hot weather that has settled this summer makes them move to reservoirs and summer cottages.

In June-July, two pronounced peaks of activity are observed during the day: morning - from 6 to 9:00 and twilight - from 19:00 to 22:00. Therefore, one must be especially careful at this time when working in the country garden, when picking berries in the forest and when moving on peat soil.

In cool, cloudy weather, snakes do not pose a serious danger, since their movements are lethargic, slow, and uncertain. Another thing is dry and hot weather, which makes the snakes aggressive.

The viper is a cautious snake, does not like anxiety and always seeks to avoid meeting a person. However, the number of viper bite victims is increasing year by year. And the reason is not that they have become less careful, and they liked to settle next to people, but that deforestation, forest fires, mass summer cottage construction on drained swamps make them move in search of new places to live, which increases the likelihood their encounter with the person.

In the heat (from 12 to 16 hours), snakes move to shady and humid places with shrubs and meadow vegetation. When the temperature rises to 30°C, the snakes concentrate near water bodies.

The Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the Pskov Region recalls:

In tall grass, in swamps, on stone placers, on deadwood, it is recommended to walk in boots;

In order to avoid a snake bite, carefully look under your feet so as not to step on it;

Do not sit on fallen trees, stumps and other objects without first inspecting them;

When you see a snake, it is better to go around it, and do not try to kill or drive it away.

In the Ural Zlatoust and its environs

due to the heat, cases of attacks of vipers on people have become more frequent

July 23, 2010, ami-tass.ru Evgeny Tkachenko ZLATOUST, Chelyabinsk region. Eight cases of snake attacks this week were recorded by the doctors of Zlatoust. As ITAR-TASS was informed today in the city center for medical prevention, several adults and two children are now being treated for viper bites in the hospital. One of them had to undergo surgery to save his life.

According to the stories of the victims, vipers attacked them on the banks of reservoirs, and even in city parks. Experts explain that the activity of reptiles is caused by abnormally hot weather, forcing the snakes to leave their hiding places and go in search of cooler places. It is possible that the fires on peat bogs, which became more frequent near Zlatoust, also influenced their behavior.

“Encounters that are undesirable for both people and vipers have become more frequent for a simple reason: in the South Urals, an unprecedented heat for these places has long been established,” believes Chelyabinsk biologist Igor Kamkov. – Even in mountainous and wooded conditions, where Zlatoust is located, today the thermometer rarely does not reach 30 degrees. Springs dry up, ponds become shallow. And only water can save reptiles from the heat.”

Doctors urge people to be careful and remind that after a snake bite, you should immediately contact a medical institution, where doctors will administer a special serum to the victim.

In the Chelyabinsk region, cases of snake attacks have become more frequent. Several people have already suffered from the bites of the viper, the most common venomous snake in the Southern Urals.

The last attack in Zlatoust turned out to be the most severe. The victim was a six year old boy. Within an hour of being bitten, he continued to play and bathe. And only when the symptoms began to appear in a complicated form, the parents took their son to the hospital.

“After coming to us, he was hospitalized in intensive care,–informs Rashid Shakurov, head of the traumatological Department of City Hospital No. 3 of the city of Zlatoust.– Detoxification measures have begun: a dropper, foot treatment. We have been monitoring dynamically. Then the child was transferred in view of the growing pronounced edema to the surgical department of the first city hospital, where operations were performed.

Isolated cases of bites have been recorded in the city. They mainly occur in the mountains and near water bodies. A snake bites if a person disturbs it, for example, by accidentally stepping on it. Doctors warn: you need to be extremely careful and immediately seek medical help if you get bitten.

WARNING: SNAKE!

Eight people only in the forests near Minsk suffered from snake bites.

22. 07. 2010, Narodnaya Gazeta. ng.by/ru, Alexander Chernukho. MINSK. The surge in activity of creeping reptiles is a seasonal phenomenon, but this year it is something unprecedented. In hot weather, snakes stay close to water bodies and wetlands. It's not always easy to see them.

“It is the snake that a person cannot see that is dangerous,” explains Andrey Shmigelsky, head of the department for the treatment of acute poisonings of the emergency hospital. - For example, in the forest, a person can reach out to a mushroom, near which a viper has warmed up. She sees this as a threat and immediately attacks.

If you do not make sudden movements, then the snake usually does not attack. Experts say that it is unlikely to die from the venom of a viper or copperhead. An allergic reaction to poison is much more dangerous. But in any case, precautions must be taken.

- When going to the forest, you need to put on high boots and put on tight trousers, - Andrey Shmigelsky advises. - If a person is next to a snake, he needs to freeze, and then slowly back away and look around. There may be another snake nearby.

It's not worth catching bastards. There was a case when a man was bitten by a viper and he decided to catch it in order to show it to the doctor. As a result, he was bitten again.

If the snake nevertheless attacked you, it is necessary no later than 20-30 minutes to suck the poison out of the wound, lubricate it with an antiseptic and apply a clean bandage over it. Then see a doctor immediately. Experts do not recommend incising the wound, cauterizing it or applying a tourniquet. This is completely ineffective and may even harm the victim.

BEAM Tip: If you have not been to confession for a long time, go to the temple. And before leaving the house, read a prayer from the bites of poisonous reptiles. PROTECT THE CHILDREN!

LUCH 2010