Don’t pick up snakes warn officials after man is bitten in Yorkshire forest

The 44-year-old from Doncaster was visiting Dalby Forest, near Scarborough, when he was bitten three times by an adder which it is understood he had picked up on Wednesday.

An off-duty paramedic gave immediate assistance to the man before a rapid response and trauma team arrived at the scene, according to the Great North Air Ambulance Service.

He was stabilised before he was airlifted from the nearby Go Ape adventure park to the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.

The man, who was not visiting the attraction, is in a serious but stable condition, the service said.

The adder is Britain’s only venomous snake but its bite is rarely life-threatening. The last death in the UK was in 1975 when a five-year-old boy was bitten on the ankle in the Trossachs, in Scotland.

Research published after this incident showed there had been 14 deaths from adder bites in the previous 100 years.

According to NHS advice, adder bite symptoms include swelling, vomiting, nausea and dizziness and, in most cases, the only treatment required is observation in hospital. More severe bites are treated with anti-venom medication.

Forest management director Alan Eves said: “The North York Moors is a good habitat for adders and there is a thriving population in Dalby Forest.

“Most people won’t have seen one though and it’s even rarer to be bitten by one as they are quite shy and move away from noise and movement. Respect that they are wild animals – what you shouldn’t do is pick them up.”

About 100 adder bites are reported in the UK each year, with most between February and October.