The herpetologist told about the actions when encountering a snake

When encountering a snake, it is better not to react to it and not try to touch it, regardless of whether the reptile is venomous or not. Vladimir Cherlin, Doctor of Biological Sciences and herpetologist, told Izvestia about this on May 13.

"The right thing to do is to look at her (the snake. — Ed.) and go further. If it's not a venomous snake, then there's no difference at all. If it's poisonous, if you don't touch it, nothing will happen. When people start catching, trying to kill, poking with sticks, and so on, unfortunately, trouble occurs in this situation," Cherlin explained.

The expert added that the rules of behavior when encountering reptiles should be explained primarily to children.

According to Cherlin, snakes are gradually becoming more active in almost all regions of Russia at this time of the year. Even non-venomous individuals can bite, but these animals usually do not attack first.

In the case of a venomous snake bite, for example, a viper, you need to prevent the victim from panicking: the venom affects the nervous system, so stress can worsen the situation. The wound should be disinfected and bandaged, and then immediately consult a doctor, the herpetologist recommended.

According to him, snakes can find shelter in firewood, under wheels or in piles of garbage in suburban and household areas.

"You just need to be careful, you need to keep the site clean, without any debris or other debris. Especially if the site is located in a place where there are usually snakes. But I repeat once again: in any case, there is no need to panic," Cherlin concluded.

Earlier, on April 11, herpetologist Evgeny Rybaltovsky told how to act when bitten by a viper. If a bite has occurred, the expert called for the venom to be sucked out. He explained that viper venom is not absorbed through the mucous membrane, it is mostly destroyed instantly. The victim of the bite should be provided with plenty of water, move as little as possible and seek medical help.