Dubai: Deadly snakes whose venom can kill within hours have been found lurking in Dubai homes located in the Emirates Living development.
Several sightings of vipers have been reported in the development’s gated Hattan – The Lakes community which has been placed on high alert. The community is adjacent to the Emirates Golf Course.
Pest control officials and facilities management are trying to minimise threats, the Hattan Interim Board Owners Association said in a letter passed on to XPRESS by a resident.
There have been no reports of casualties so far.
Wildlife expert Dr Reza Khan identified one species in a picture taken by a Hattan resident as the carpet or saw-scaled viper, thought to be the UAE’s deadliest land snake.
He said that antivenin or anti-venom for poisonous UAE snakes are usually kept at Rashid Hospital in Dubai and Al Qasimi Hospital in Sharjah.
“Anyone bitten by this snake can die in four to eight hours if anti-venom is not given. Most human fatalities or envenomation in the UAE has come from this viper,” Dr Khan said.
The British resident who took one of the pictures told XPRESS he spotted two dead snakes on his street while returning from work. “I’m assuming they had been run over during the day. I parked my car and went up to it to take a picture of the dead viper.”
A Kazakh resident said she had found a snake in her five-bedroom villa last year. “This area is really infamous for snakes as our backyards look towards the golf-course side [of Emirates Golf Club]. We’re getting used to having them around now.”
Snakes have also been seen in villa gardens and patios by at least two residents in April and last December.
Dr Khan said the carpet viper appears “colourful, heavy-bodied and short-ish”. It gives live birth instead of laying eggs. The snake feeds on rodents, lizards, other small snakes and bird chicks.
“Additionally, they eat house mice as they generally live close to human habitations,” he added.
An adult viper can be 40 to 75cm long with a pair of upper front fangs. The upper body is usually greyish or yellowish brown, while the belly is white, speckled with brown or black.
Treating snake bites
Dr G.Y. Naroo, Senior Specialist, Emergency Medicine at Rashid Hospital, told XPRESS that cases of snake bites are few in the UAE. “Snake bites in urban areas are very, very rare. What we get are one or two cases of snake bites from the sea or desert areas and they are non-poisonous because they involve sea snakes and desert pseudo-vipers.”
He said a person bitten by a snake should be immediately taken to a government hospital, preferably within an hour. “Identify the fang mark, clean the area with plain water and do not move the limb. Bring the patient to a government hospital where we will evaluate the case and administer a polyvalent anti-snake venom depending on the signs and symptoms.”
The anti-venom is free of cost.
Dr Naroo said one common mistake that people do is to suck the venom out. “This is absolutely contra-indicated because you can damage the nerves, tissue and further infect the area. Also, do not use a pressure bandage because it will block the arteries and damage the lymph nodes and when we release it, the venom can spread to other parts of the body.”
He said it is very useful if a picture of the snake is taken or the snake brought along if it is killed.
With input from Sharmila Dhal, Senior Reporter
