Zak Brown, a 39-year-old father of two from St Ives, Cambridgeshire, was paddleboarding with a friend at Cavenham Heath National Nature Reserve in Suffolk on a hot Friday when he stopped for a rest. As he stepped onto a grassy verge, he unknowingly trod on an adder, Britain's only venomous snake. Within moments, he felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his left ankle and looked down to see the snake dangling from his heel.
Immediate Pain and Swelling
The pain was instant and burning, described by Brown as 'unbearable.' His foot began to swell rapidly, and within half an hour, the swelling had spread up his ankle. Unable to stand, he had to paddle back to his car over two hours, keeping his foot elevated. By the time he reached Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, his entire leg had swollen up to the groin, resembling an 'elephant leg.'
Hospital Treatment and Recovery
Doctors administered an anti-venom injection and kept Brown overnight for monitoring. He was discharged the following day. Medics noted that the adder was a juvenile, and if it had been a fully grown adult, the consequences could have been far more serious. Brown's swelling persisted for four to five days, preventing him from wearing any footwear.
Brown said: 'I must've stood on it to scare it that bad and it just hit me with its venom straight away. My whole leg had swollen right up to the groin. The doctors said if the snake was a full-grown adult, it could've been a different story and I was lucky in that sense.'
Rarity of Adder Bites
The European adder is the only venomous snake native to the UK. Bites are rare and typically occur only when the snake is stepped on or handled. The venom is relatively weak, but in extremely rare cases, it can be fatal. The last confirmed death from an adder bite in the UK was in Scotland in 1975, with only 55 fatalities recorded over the last 300 years.
Ongoing Caution
Brown now finds himself constantly checking the grass for snakes, saying: 'Now I'm non-stop cautious of snakes, constantly looking around the grass checking because I don't want it to happen again.' His ordeal serves as a stark reminder of the risks posed by Britain's native wildlife, even in seemingly tranquil settings.
