STA, 20 August 2019 - A foreign tourist visiting Slovenian mountains was bitten by a venomous viper at the Dolič hut in the Julian Alps in north-western Slovenia on Monday when she tried to hold the snake.
She thought that there were no venomous snakes in Slovenia and tried to hold the viper, the Kranj police department said in a press release today.
A helicopter rescue team was deployed immediately and transported the tourist to the UKC Ljubljana hospital.
Contrary to unfortunate tourist's belief, there are three species of venomous snakes in Slovenia - common European viper, horned viper and asp viper.
According to the hospital, the hiker's life is not in danger and she is already feeling much better.
What to do if bitten by a snake in Slovenia
This year, the UKC Ljubljana hospital has had four patients who had been bitten by a venomous snake, with three of them needing antiserum.
The hospital treats between nine to twelve cases of venomous snake bites on average per year, shows data from the previous years.
It's quite unlikely a person would get bitten, but if one is, it is important to note the appearance of the snake, perhaps even take a photo of it, clean the wound and seek medical attention immediately. Such bites are rarely deadly, though.
