Snake Bites Woman in Huddersfield
A DOG walker ended up in hospital after being bitten by a snake in
Huddersfield.
And unlucky Sue Rooker did not even know the snake had struck until
she had got home and her foot began to swell.
Sue, 63, of Scapegoat Hill, was walking her seven-year-old pet German
Shepherd, Toby, across the village's common heathland close to
Scapegoat Hill Junior and Infant School when she was bitten right
through her wellington boot at around 8am on Friday.
After she returned home her foot became more and more painful until
she couldn't even put it on the ground.
The wellington may have taken some of the venom or else Sue – who has
angina which is narrowing of her heart arteries – could have ended up
even more ill.
Adders bite their prey to inject venom to paralyse it – and that's
what started to happen to Sue's foot.
She then began to feel ill and her 69-year-old husband, Philip, took
her to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.
He said: "Sue was quite ill and felt sick, dizzy and woozy. She looked
terrible and at first I thought she was having a heart problem.
"It was only later in the morning that we began to think it could be a
snake bite, but even then we couldn't really believe it.
"A snake bite must be very rare in Huddersfield as medical staff had
to look up on their database what to do and then said she had to stay
in for 24 hours so they could monitor her.
"I understand there are serum banks for adder bites at Calderdale
Royal Hospital and in hospitals on the east coast of Yorkshire and
near the New Forest.
"You can see where the snake had bitten and there is a hole in her
wellies that it has gone through.
"We don't want to panic people, but felt it was important to warn them
as children also use the common.
"My understanding is that if you put your foot down right next to a
snake it will bite you, but if you put it a few feet away it will
disappear."
Philip added: "Earlier in the week Toby was ferreting around in the
heath and suddenly jumped back. Now he won't go near that spot so we
wonder if he had come across the snake."
Sue said: "I've been dog-walking on the common for 30 years and
nothing like this has happened before, but someone who has lived in
the village all his life says there are snakes there.
"The advice would be to stay on the paths and out of the heather.
"When I came back from the walk I felt fine at first and started to do
some housework, but then started to feel strange.
"The first doctor at the hospital spotted the snake puncture marks
straight away and several of the nurses came to have a look as they
had never seen a snake bite before.
"The foot was still painful on Saturday and only began to improve
later on in the weekend."
Rob Birkinshaw, accident and emergency consultant at Huddersfield
Royal Infirmary, said cases of snake bites were very rare.
He added: "In the 18 years I've been qualified I've only ever dealt
with one other case – and that was in Oldham."
Sue understands from hospital staff that there have only been around
14 recorded snake bites in Huddersfield over the last 100 years.
A snake bite leaves puncture marks and the affected limb is stiff,
swollen and painful.
The adder is Britain's only poisonous snake, favouring heathlands,
hedgerows, open woodland and river banks.
It emerges from hibernation in March when temperatures rise above 9C
and the males go in search of females to mate with.
Adders usually will only bite people if they are accidentally
disturbed or attacked and will not normally actively seek to bite a
person.
They are carnivores and bite small mammals and lizards to inject their
venom. After a short while the venom immobilises the prey and the
adder will then seek it out by smell and devour it.
Huddersfield Examiner: April 2008
