2023-10-19 07:24:08
Opinion Upper Franconia
Releasing poisonous snakes into the wild – is that necessary?
“Caution, poisonous!” Signs warn of adders on the holiday islands of Rügen and Hiddensee. In Upper Franconia, however, bred specimens are released into the wild. Our author thinks that a few new benches for hikers would not have been bad instead.
Status: 19.10.2023 | Reading time: 3 minutes
By Kira Hanser
responsible editor travel/style/engine
Quelle: picture alliance / imageBROKER
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When it comes to nature conservation, Germany is ambitious. Anyone who hikes through the forests, heath and moors between the Alps and the sea will be delighted by the beauty of the protected areas along the way. The ideal holidaymaker stays on the signposted paths, doesn’t harm any plants or scare any protected animals. Of course, benches to relax in have become rare or have become rotten due to a lack of repair.
Some hikers get the uneasy feeling that nature conservation authorities all over the country are only spending a lot of money on whimsical, almost bizarre projects. So in this country everything that can walk, fly or even just wrestle along the ground is released into the wild. Whether wolves in Upper Lusatia, bison in the Sauerland, bearded vultures in the Berchtesgaden Alps – now they are also poisonous snakes. This is unique in the world.
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Neither in the southern USA (rattlesnakes), in Thailand (cobras), in Africa (mambas) and Australia (Taipan) nor in southern Europe (horned vipers) would any ranger come up with the crazy idea of breeding a poisonous species of snake in order to release it into the wild want. Harmless species such as the grass snake are certainly released. They don’t hurt anyone either.
Three times more toxic than rattlesnake venom
But in Upper Franconia there is less pain. At the end of September, the first five adders were ceremoniously released into the wild near the Fichtelgebirge on behalf of the Bavarian administrative district. Around 80 additional specimens bred for this purpose are waiting in Bayreuth terrariums for their Franconian freedom. This is intended to help the population, which has declined alarmingly, recover.
Tongue-tonguing and native to Bavaria: the adder, which is threatened with extinction
Quelle: Getty Images
Adders are, along with the aspis viper, which only occurs regionally in the Black Forest, the only species of venomous snake found nationwide. Their venom is three times more toxic than that of a rattlesnake, although adders inject smaller amounts of it.
In response to concerned questions from some citizens, the Bavarian State Office for the Environment hastened to reassure people: the last clear death of a person in Bavaria after being bitten by an adder was more than 50 years ago.
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Normally a bite is painful, causes hematomas and causes nausea. However, it is dangerous for children, old people, allergy sufferers and chronically ill people. According to the Munich Poison Information Center, anyone who has been bitten should see a doctor or go to a hospital immediately. Between 2000 and 2021, 43 to 139 patients were hospitalized nationwide for snake bites, many from adders.
There are warning signs in the north-east of Germany
There are currently so many adders meandering on the holiday islands of Rügen and Hiddensee in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania that there is no longer any need to release them into the wild. The animals are lively during the day. Signs warn about them: “Beware of snakes!” In 2004, an 81-year-old vacationer on Rügen died after being bitten.
Signs on Rügen warn of snakes. Here on the edge of a parking lot near Zirkow
Source: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-ZB/Stephan Schulz
There could soon be warnings about poisonous snakes near the Müritz. The Neubrandenburg public utilities recently donated around 12,000 euros: for adders that are to be released into the wild in a nature reserve. A few new benches for hikers would also have done the trick.
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In order to display embedded content, your revocable consent to the transmission and processing of personal data is necessary, as the providers of the embedded content require this consent as third party providers [In diesem Zusammenhang können auch Nutzungsprofile (u.a. auf Basis von Cookie-IDs) gebildet und angereichert werden, auch außerhalb des EWR]. By setting the switch to “on”, you agree to this (revocable at any time). This also includes your consent to the transfer of certain personal data to third countries, including the USA, in accordance with Art. 49 (1) (a) GDPR. You can find more information about this. You can revoke your consent at any time using the switch and privacy at the bottom of the page.
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