Dangerous Palestinian viper caught in goods from Israel
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Loading... - Angela De Witte
- 07 Apr 2022
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Staff from the nature aid centre in Oudsbergen (Limburg) have helped to capture a Palestinian viper at the Dilissen Logistics firm in Pelt. The viper arrived at the company in freight from Israel. The Palestinian viper is a particularly aggressive and poisonous snake. No antivenom for a bite is readily available in Belgium.
Staff at Dilissen Logistics called in the nature aid centre as soon as they noticed the snake in the freight from Israel.
“We received a picture and then compared it to snakes from the region” says snake expert Martijn Houbrechts. “We quickly discovered this was a poisonous snake and at the scene it was immediately clear we needed to be careful”.
Kitted out in a thick coat and gloves a member of the centre’s staff used a snake hook to catch the animal and deposit it in a box.
“Everything went smoothly. Staff at the logistics firm were a bit shocked but we managed to capture the animal and make the situation safe. A snake like this can turn particularly aggressive when it wants to defend itself. Then there’s the problem that Belgium hasn’t got any antidote”.
If you do get bitten by a Palestinian viper the best thing to do is to go to hospital without delay to get the best care.
“The hospital won’t be able to administer an antidote, but they can deal with the problems a bite can cause: headache, diarrhoea and breathing difficulties” says Martijn. Read More...
