To some, scorpions and snakes are amongst the scariest creatures in the veld and very few people like the idea of encountering them. Whilst the majority of scorpions and snakes are harmless to humans, it is important to know how to prevent stings and bites and how to treat these, especially if they may be lethal.

SNAKES

Fatalities from bites are quite rare and the vast majority of snakes are not venomous, with less than 10% of bites requiring anti-venom. Snakes avoid humans whenever possible, and many bites are defensive or warning bites, with limited venom injected.

The most venomous snakes found in southern Africa are: Black Mamba, Green Mamba, Boomslang, Vine Snake, Cape Cobra, Mozambique Spitting Cobra, Snouted Cobra, Forest Cobra, Black Spitting Cobra, Zebra Cobra, Anchieta’s Cobra, Rinkhals, Puff Adder and Gaboon Adder. Special mention should be made of the Night Adder and Stiletto Snake, too, since these two species account for a number of bad bites, although they are not lethal.

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It is best to try and avoid snakes and you should be very careful and remain on the lookout for them whenever you are in the bush. Snakes avoid humans as much as possible, mostly darting off into thick vegetation when they see or feel humans approaching. The more disturbance you make as you walk, the more chance the snake has to move off. It is best to wear boots and long pants and also remember to shake out your boots in the morning before putting them on.

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Fortunately most snakes will get out of your way and will only strike when they are surprised, have no escape or are threatened. If you see a snake, make a slow retreat to a distance of 5m. If you remain completely still the cobra will most probably move away. The adders are often considered amongst the most dangerous as they are slow to move away, especially when it is cold. They rely on their camouflage to stay hidden but can strike with incredible speed when threatened or accidentally trodden on.

Different kinds of venom

Different species of snake have different types of venom, each with unique toxic effects:

Mambas and non-spitting cobras have a predominantly neurotoxic venom, which attacks the central nervous system. It starts by affecting movement, breathing, swallowing, speech and sight and can cause death due to respiratory failure.

The Boomslang and Vine Snake have a predominantly haematoxic venom that affects the blood clotting mechanism, leading to extensive blood loss into the tissues. However, serious Boomslang and Vine Snake bites are very rare as these snakes are largely arboreal and are back fanged. Back-fanged snakes’ venom delivery system is not as efficient as that of the front fanged snakes, and they need to chew on their prey in order to deliver venom.

Spitting Cobras, Adders and the Stiletto Snake have a predominantly cytotoxic venom, which attacks the body’s cells. The bite is extremely painful with much swelling and blistering, and the victim experiences marked symptoms of shock.

The venom of the Rinkhals is both cytotoxic and neurotoxic, and symptoms include painful swelling of the affected limb, and possibly necrosis (cell death) at the site of the bite.

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What to do about snake bites

Anybody bitten by a venomous snake must get professional medical treatment as quickly as possible.  In the meanwhile, keep the victim calm and still, and remove tight jewellery or clothing.

If you are more than an hour or two from the closest hospital, consider applying a smart pressure bandage to the affected limb, but only in suspected Black Mamba or Cape Cobra bites. Bites from snakes with cytotoxic venom, or with marked swelling must not be bandaged.

Keep the victim as still as possible to minimise venom spreading through the system. Transport the person to the closes hospital with an emergency room as soon as possible.

For venom from a spitting snake, wash the eyes out with any bland liquid as soon as possible, keep flushing the eyes for 5-10 minutes and get the victim to a doctor. Water is ideal for flushing the eyes, but if not available, any other bland liquid (e.g. milk) will work. Venom on the skin can be washed off with water.

Photos can be taken of the snake for identification purposes but only if there is no risk of the photographer incurring harm. Doctors will treat unidentified snake bites symptomatically.

Also read: Be snake savvy when you’re on the road

SCORPIONS

The majority of scorpions are only mildly venomous to humans, although their sting can be extremely painful and often require analgesic treatment.

Of the more than 250 known species of scorpion in southern Africa, only two have venom that is deadly to humans.  Four scorpion families have been identified in southern Africa and the potentially dangerous species all belong to the Buthidae family.  In this family the Parabuthus genus and especially P. transvaalicus and P. granulatus are potentially lethal. P. villosus also calls for urgent medical attention. Children are especially vulnerable to these scorpion stings and have a mortality rate of close to 20%.

There is a general rule of thumb to distinguish dangerous scorpions from those that are mildly venomous to humans: the highly venomous have thick tails and thin pincers and the mildly venomous scorpions have thin tails and thick pincers.

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Prevention is better than cure

Scorpions prefer rocky or wooded areas and mostly come out at night, apparently more so when the wind blows.  Ways to prevent being stung:

• Always wear closed shoes after dusk.
• Outdoor lights attract insects and thus the scorpions that feed on them.
• Exercise caution when lifting rocks, and when collecting wood.
• When you camp, try not to sleep directly on the ground.
• Shake out your shoes before you put them on and your bedding before you go to bed at night.
• Check for scorpion holes during daytime so that you know before nightfall if there might be any around. They are usually situated in open ground and are small and oval shaped.
• Never handle scorpions with bare hands.
• It is very easy to find scorpions at night using a torch with UV LEDs. Shine such a torch around your campsite at night and a compound in their exoskeleton refracts the UV light, causing them to fluoresce with a green glow and makes them easy to spot in the dark. Depending on the UV output of the torch you will be able to see them from a distance of one to ten meters. Scorpions do not seem to suffer any ill effects from the UV light.

Sting symptoms

Moderate to more serious envenomation through scorpion sting causes malaise, sweating, heart palpitations, rise in blood pressure, salivation, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Hyper acute reactions include blurring of consciousness, unconsciousness, convulsions, fall in blood pressure, shock and even death. The victim must be transported to hospital rapidly, with support for breathing problems (rescue breaths or bag valve-mask ventilation).

Information reviewed by the African Snakebite Institute. The Institute provides first-aid information and courses.

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This article was originally published in 2015 and has been updated.