The blossoming of flowers and the pleasant warm weather make spring a good season for going to the countryside. As the time from spring to early winter is the time when organisms are most vibrant, it is also the time when snakes are most active. The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) reminds the public that when they encounter snakes in the countryside, they should remain calm, avoid driving away or coming into contact with the snakes and co-exist peacefully with wild animals.

Snakes in general strike a defensive pose to bluff when they are threatened, but they rarely initiate attacks. Therefore, when the public encounter a snake in the wild, they should remain calm, avoid sudden movements or actions to drive the snake away, refrain from hitting the snake to injure or kill it and leave silently. On the other hand, snakes like to live in tree branches, dense bushes, mangrove swamps, cracks in rocks, caves and places that are dark and humid like ditches or sewers, etc. Therefore, the public should avoid entering bushes and refrain from extending their hands or feet into gaps or caves. If it is necessary to pass through these places, they can use a hiking stick to explore the places where there is suspected snake activity.

To prevent snake bites, the public should pay attention to their own outfits, such as wearing light-coloured long-sleeved clothes, trousers or protective outdoor gear and avoid wearing sandals, etc. If the public are unfortunately bitten by a snake, they should remain calm and keep a certain distance from the snake to prevent repeated bites, record the time of the bite and the characteristics of the snake, avoid vigorous movements and slow down their actions so as to reduce the heart rate and blood flow. Their accompanying persons should seek help as soon as possible and call 999 for assistance and medical help. The public can use water and soap for simple cleaning of the wound. However, they should not use their mouths to suck the venom from the wound, press or spray alcohol on the wound. Furthermore, they should not capture or hit and kill the snake which attacked.

As snakes are generally scared of human beings, biting is a self-defence reaction. IAM calls on the public to respect and conserve nature, and give wild animals space to live.