Sign up for the editor's
weekly newsletter
July 30, 2010
Poisonous snake bites British tourist in Bavarian supermarket
Published: 18 Aug 09 15:36 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20090818-21321.html
The relaxing Bavarian holiday of a British tourist recently took a dramatic turn after she was bitten by a poisonous snake in an Oberammergau grocery store.
- Germany still paying for Chernobyl fallout - National (29 Jul 10)
- What's on in Germany: July 29 - August 4 - Lifestyle (29 Jul 10)
- Behemoth wine barrel to be tapped after 400 years - Society (29 Jul 10)
“The snake managed to get a hold of her toe and then sneaked away just as she looked down. It was a small bite but it did manage to get some of its poison through the bite,” Officer Walter Schmidt told The Local on Tuesday, describing the incident that happened last week.
The woman spent one night in hospital as a precautionary measure and was released the next day.
“At no time was there any danger to her life,” said Schmidt, who was called to the scene along with ambulance crews.
The 25-centimetre snake was then caught by the owner of a nearby reptile house, Thomas Lücke, who released it in the Pulvermoos nature area near the neighbouring town of Unterammergau.
“In the 19 years I’ve had the reptile house in Oberammergau, this is the first time that I’ve had to catch a European viper,” Lücke told the regional daily Merkur.
Schmidt confirmed that the snake attack was a very unusual case for the region.
“We have no idea why the snake was in front of the store – you don’t typically see them sitting out in the sun and it could be that it was looking for a cool refuge,” he said.
The bite of the European viper (Vipera berus) is known to be very painful but not always poisonous. The largest specimens of the protected species can grow up to 90 centimetres.
Sabine Devins (news@thelocal.de)
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
Fark It!
Digg This
Facebook
Share everywhere
Send to a friend
Printable version
Twitter ThisToday's headlines
TRAGEDY IN DUISBURG
Own party now turns on Duisburg mayor
Embattled Duisburg Mayor Adolf Sauerland faced demands to resign from his own conservative party on Friday over the Love Parade tragedy that left 21 people dead. READ »
Germany wins double-gold at European championships
Germany scored double-gold Thursday night at the European Athletics Championships in Barcelona, taking first place in both the women’s 100 metres sprint and the javelin throw. READ »
Skilled migrants urgently needed, says minister
With Germany industry facing a looming skills shortage, Economy Minister Rainer Brüderle revealed on Friday he was planning a major recruitment drive to attract skilled migrants. READ (1 COMMENT) »
Behemoth wine barrel to be tapped after 400 years
The world’s oldest giant wine barrel, held in a Saxony-Anhalt hunting mansion, has been refilled for the first time in its 400-year history and will be filling glasses at a festival beginning on Friday. READ (1 COMMENT) »
Elderly woman robbed by fake relative after weekend reunion
Police are searching for a woman who robbed a retiree after she claimed to be a relative and spent the weekend at her home along with a child and dog, police said on Thursday. READ »
Single-parent families on the rise in Germany
The number of single-parent families in Germany has risen over the past decade, with nearly one in five mothers and fathers now raising their children on their own, a national “microcensus” revealed Thursday. READ (3 COMMENTS) »
Weatherman Kachelmann released from jail
Four months after he was arrested for allegedly raping his girlfriend, weatherman Jörg Kachelmann was released from custody on Thursday. READ (3 COMMENTS) »
Home offices should be tax-deductible, court rules
Teachers, professors and other people who keep a second office at home are in for a windfall after a court ruled Thursday that tax deductions on home offices should be expanded. READ (2 COMMENTS) »
More Society
- 29/07 Neo-Nazis hack into Buchenwald concentration camp website (1 comment) »
- 29/07 Single-parent families on the rise in Germany (3 comments) »
- 29/07 Elderly woman robbed by fake relative after weekend reunion »
- 29/07 Behemoth wine barrel to be tapped after 400 years (1 comment) »
- 28/07 Gay German theologian lashes Catholic Church (4 comments) »
- 28/07 Police seize 'ancient' bus after 1.8 million kilometres (18 comments) »
- 28/07 Nazi death camp guard charged with murder (24 comments) »
- 27/07 Political pressure steamrolled safety fears (2 comments) »
- 27/07 Depression and schizophrenia filling German hospital beds (25 comments) »
- 26/07 Duisburg police relieved of Love Parade investigation »
Highlights
See all ads | Join the Marketplace
-
The Potting Shed - Bar & Kitchen
The Potting Shed is a bar and kitchen -
Able Sprachschule Miller King Bird GbR
Language school for people as well as companies with in-house and away teaching. -
Heilpraktiker Joe Ferraro
Massage and holistic healing -
Liz Frey Relocation Service Agency for Furnished Accommodation Munich
Liz Frey Munich - furnished accommodation -
Chambervelt, Rooselain & Cie. Ltd.
The truly independent advisor especially for expats in Germany -
Arenalingua
Arenalingua offers the language you want to learn... -
Belushi's Berlin
Fun, friendly, traveller's bar.
Sponsored Links
Jobs in Germany, in English
799 jobs available
469 new jobs this week
6 new jobs today
- Product Manager Fleet-Management
- Consultant Installation Specialist (m/f)
- Application Support Engineer (m/f) Microcontroller MSP430
- Lawyer, Senior Counsel (m/f) (JA-GER75852)
- Research & Development Controller (m/w) (JA-GER75888)
- Account Executive
- HR Manager Germany - Global IT Consultancy - Frankfurt
- Consultants / Top Graduates, advance your career in Health-Care!
- Business Analyst
- Manager Differentiated Generics m/f
Latest news from The Local in Sweden
- 30/07 Chaos reigns in central Sweden after heavy rain »
- 30/07 Train breaks down from Stockholm to Malmö »
- 30/07 Ibrahimović pledges to stay at Barcelona »
- 29/07 Protestors arrested in anti-US demo »
- 29/07 Couple suspected of dog smuggling set free »
Blog
Essentials
Dating
Looking for your own blonde bombshell? Or is the strong, silent type more your
style? Find a German sweetheart here.
Weather
"After clouds comes clear weather," say the Germans. But what about after that? Find out in The Local's weather
section.
Blog
German stuff that's distracting us today.
Noticeboard
Whether you want to buy, sell, hire, announce or promote something, here's the place to do it - completely free of
charge.
Discuss
Debate the news, ask for advice, make friends - or just let off steam.
Register
Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss
News from the Goethe-Institut
- High Risk in the Crisis: Start-Ups in the Culture Business
Organisational talent, networks, staying power and, ideally, plenty of start-up capital – these are important prerequisites for a business start-up. - Cooperate or Capitulate? Clubs and All-Day Schools
In view of the massive expansion of all-day schools, clubs are facing unprecedented problems. - Copying Allowed: Creative Commons Licenses
Creative Commons is a licensing system that enables authors to grant the rights to use their own work. - Spaces of Knowledge. Uwe Jochum on his “Geschichte der abendländischen Bibliotheken”
From cave paintings to the digital library on the Net, Uwe Jochum’s "Geschichte der abendländischen Bibliotheken", spans about 20,000 years of library history.... - Creative Small Business: The Writer and All-Round Artist Thomas Kapielski
Among contemporary German authors, one stands out who for years has been able to operate in various forms of expression and does not fit into any category: Thomas Kapielski....
News from Young Germany
- Pop diva from the "Green Hill"
She’s regarded as the great hope of Bayreuth and marks the beginning of a new era in the history of... - University of Heidelberg number one among graduate students
The number of international students coming to Germany to complete their doctorate is on the rise,... - World's best youth orchestras to perform in Berlin
From August 6-22 some of the world's best youth orchestras will come together for the 11th Young... - The "Gigasaur" comes to Frankfurt
Forty meters long and weighing in at over 80,000 kilos, the Argentinosaurus has arrived in... - Backpacking Germany
Many people find backpacking in a foreign country a daunting prospect, but hitting the road with...
News from DeutschlandOnline
- Westerwelle expects autumn talks on Iran nuclear programme
Visiting Turkey German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on Wednesday (27 July) said he expected... - Yoko Ono to exhibit interactive Berlin show in September
Conceptual artist Yoko Ono is to unveil a new show in Berlin this September on the subject of... - German banks pass european stress tests
Seven European Union banks have failed the stress tests run by regulators on 91 lenders and will... - German, Swedish truckmakers study collaboration
Swedish heavy-vehicle maker Scania AB said Thursday it is studying non brand-related collaboration...
Noticeboard
Toytown Germany
- 09:39 Documents required to open a DKB Cash account
- 09:36 €100K salary before taxes in Berlin
- 09:34 Using VOIP phone in Alice DSL
- 09:32 Customer service positives in Germany
- 09:30 Paulstep's Leipzig BBQ II - Paul dons apron again
- 09:25 Mortgage advice based on personal experience...
- 09:25 Websites to book cheap flights
- 09:17 Cycling tours around Munich
- 09:12 SATURDAY 2010 Free Museum Entrance in Frankfurt
- 09:11 Updates on Sunday shopping in Frankfurt
JOB: Sales position @ Globe Business College Munich
GBCM is currently seeking an experienced sales person to work in the area of student recruitment in Germany and internationally
FULL JOB DETAILS
GBCM is currently seeking an experienced sales person to work in the area of student recruitment in Germany and internationally
FULL JOB DETAILS
JOB: Customer Service Agent - Munich
Mr Lodge GmbH, Germany's biggest agency for furnished apartments, is looking for an English native speaker
FULL JOB DETAILS
Mr Lodge GmbH, Germany's biggest agency for furnished apartments, is looking for an English native speaker
FULL JOB DETAILS
Sales managers - country wide
The Local is seeking talented and experienced media sales professionals for our online advertising sales in Germany
FULL JOB DETAILS
The Local is seeking talented and experienced media sales professionals for our online advertising sales in Germany
FULL JOB DETAILS
Flat rate internet + free calls to USA, UK, Canada and more
Surf‘n’Talk service from TKS offers a powerful combination of high-speed Internet connectivity along with an around-the-clock flat for calls to your “home country”. Find out more at the TKS website.
INFO > www.tkscable.com
Surf‘n’Talk service from TKS offers a powerful combination of high-speed Internet connectivity along with an around-the-clock flat for calls to your “home country”. Find out more at the TKS website.
INFO > www.tkscable.com
Your comments about this article:
*Boom boom
edit: bad English making it seem like the woman attacked the snake <sigh>
Pretty much a freak occurance in anyones book that.
So according to German shop keepers Snakes do not sit in the sun ???
surely "snaked" away?
;-)
See? I told you, discount food can be bad for your health. Up to being poisoned.
There are lots of snakes in germany... Some have tits too!!
I once saw Till Lindemann in an interview talking about how Germans eat snakes and lizards- deep fried. And who says Germans have no sense of humour?
*snakes with tits? Hmmm....this wouldn't be teutonic snakes?
Should you wish to try snake, American rattlesnakes were recently spotted in the frozen meat section at Frische Paradies. It might make an interesting addition to a summer BBQ... Given that the store caters to the restuarant trade, has anyone seen it on offer at a restaurant?
Should you wish to try snake, American rattlesnakes were recently spotted in the frozen meat section at Frische Paradies. It might make a…
Poison is a toxin that causes its effect through ingestion or absorption while venom is a toxin that causes its effect through administration via a specialized delivery system. Snakes are venomous since the toxin is delivered via specialized apparatus while poison arrow frogs are poisonous since the toxin is absorbed.
Here in the US the poor snake probably would have been clubbed to death several tiimes before being brought to the local zoo to be identified.
You have no idea how many innocent, totally harmless, beautiful little DeKay's brown snakes (small, beneficial snakes that eat slugs etc in the garden) get chopped up by hysterical people before beng presented for ID (fearing them to be some fiendish threat). Geesh.
Shoot first and ask questions later.