A recreational paddleboarding trip in Suffolk took a dangerous turn when Zak Brown was bitten by an adder, the United Kingdom's only venomous snake. The incident left Brown with a severely swollen leg, prompting hospitalization and anti-venom treatment.
Brown was paddleboarding with a friend at Cavenham Heath National Nature Reserve last month when he stepped onto a grassy verge and inadvertently disturbed a snake. He felt an immediate sharp pain on his left ankle and saw the adder, described as a juvenile about half a meter long, attached to his heel. Within minutes, his ankle began to swell, and the pain intensified, spreading up his leg. He reported being unable to stand on his leg, which became swollen to the extent he described it as resembling an 'elephant leg'.
The pair made a two-hour paddle back to their car, after which Brown sought medical attention at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge. Doctors administered anti-venom, and he was kept overnight for observation. Medical staff noted that Brown was fortunate the snake was a juvenile, as an adult adder's venom could have had more severe consequences. He was discharged the following day but experienced swelling that prevented him from putting weight on his foot for several days.
The common European adder, also known as the common European viper, is found across England, Scotland, and Wales, inhabiting heathlands, commons, and woodlands. While its bite is painful and can cause illness, it is rarely fatal to healthy adults. The last recorded fatality from an adder bite in the UK was in 1975. Adders typically avoid humans and are most likely to bite if they feel threatened or are accidentally stepped on.
Brown, who lives in St Ives, Cambridgeshire, stated that the experience has made him more cautious, and he now constantly checks his surroundings for snakes. Experts have previously raised concerns about the declining population of adders in the UK, with warnings that they could face extinction within the next 15-20 years due to habitat loss and other threats. There are estimated to be only 260 known sites with adder populations remaining in the UK.