THESSALONIKI: Herpetologist catches viper with a glove, cages it and collapses

A woman has been hospitalized in critical condition after being bitten by a snake while trying to remove the reptile from a school in Thessaloniki.

A 39-year-old herpetologist is fighting for his life after being bitten by a snake while trying to catch a reptile found at a school in Thessaloniki.

The incident took place at a school complex near Giannitsen Street when a custodian found the snake on the ground floor of the school during working hours throughout the day.

The superintendent immediately informed the school administration and the fire department was called, which in turn provided the phone numbers of two herpetologists and a volunteer from the “Action for Wildlife” organization was the first to arrive.

According to Voria.gr, everything happened, the school superintendent used a broom to remove the snake from the school floor, specifically the yard, and then a gloved herpetologist, said to be a horticultural type, caught it. The snake tried to put it in a carrier bag, but it bit her.

She is admitted in ICU

The woman locked the snake in a cage and put it in her vehicle before it went into anaphylactic shock and collapsed in front of teachers at the scene.

It is noteworthy that this was an experienced herpetologist who judged that he could collect the snake without using any additional equipment other than gloves, and assessed that the viper was likely transported, meaning that it entered. The wheels of a vehicle ended up in the school premises like this.

The 39-year-old reportedly initially estimated he had a 24-hour window, but his condition quickly deteriorated. EKAV was immediately called to the scene, first two cyclists arrived, then an ambulance took the unfortunate woman to Papanikolaou Hospital, where she was hospitalized in ICU 1, hemodynamically unstable and in critical condition.

Earlier on Friday, a water snake was found on the wheels of a vehicle on Gianitsen Street.