Adder In Bolton Lancashire Wooohooooo

Dog walker 'attacked by adder'
By Staff Reporter

A DOG walker was recovering at home today - after being bitten by a snake at a Bolton beauty spot.

Derek Walsh believes he was attacked by a venomous adder because he suffered a serious reaction to the bite.

He developed a fever and his leg began to swell and bruise.

He only realised he had been bitten by a snake however when a friend pointed out the fang marks on his leg.

Mr Walsh, aged 62, of Tintern Avenue, Tonge Moor, went to hospital where doctors agreed it could have been an adder and gave him antibiotics.

He said: "I felt something bite me but didn't think anything of it. I didn't see anything. I scratched it a few times and when I got home my ankle was red. But then I felt ill and listless and very tired and had to go to bed early. My leg was badly bruised and very swollen."

Mr Walsh was on his usual route at Barrow Bridge when he felt a bite above his ankle.

The market trader, who runs a pet food business, thought no more about it, but the next morning he became ill, suffering flu-like symptoms.

It was only three days later when another market trader pointed out two puncture wounds on his leg that Mr Walsh realised what had happened.

He said: "I regularly walk above the sixty three steps at Barrow Bridge where they is rough ground and I always wear Wellingtons. But because it has been dry I had shorts on and a pair of trainer boots. When I went to work on Saturday at Ramsbottom market and the other stall holder said it was a snake bite and I should get it looked at I went to the chemist. A customer in there who was a member of the mountain rescue team, also said it was a snake bite."

Mr Walsh has since been researching adders on the internet. He thinks it might have been a young adder and he may have accidentally trodden on it, which was why it attacked.

He said: "Had it bitten the dog, it could have killed her. I would advise all walkers, runners and visitors to beware, the countryside can be dangerous at times and you should dress suitably. I will be putting my Wellingtons on in future."

Wildlife expert for the Forestry Commission, Jim Stewart, said it was rare for a British adder to bite at this time of year as they are more likely to strike between mid-February and early April, when they are slow moving after having just come out of hibernation.

He added: "British adders, while not uncommon, are in decline, so I wouldn't want people to persecute them. It's extremely rare for one to bite, especially at this time of years, as they are very timid and will do everything they can to get out of people's way."

http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/search/display.var.2297631.0.dog_walker_attacked_by_adder.php

British Adder, huh.