The events unfolded at the end of June when a person entered a hospital in the province of Seville after being bitten by a snake. Uncertain whether the reptile was venomous, the patient, acting as a precaution, managed to capture the animal and brought it to the hospital to determine if it could aid the medical team in deciding which treatment would be needed if necessary.
The hospital staff immediately requested urgent telephone support at the number 062. They called for a patrol from the Civil Guard, SEPRONA, with the aim of identifying the snake’s venom status and assessing any risk to the patient.
After speaking with the Civil Guard, hospital personnel sent several photographs of the reptile to the officers. Those images were forwarded to a specialist to determine the species with the highest possible certainty.
The expert stated that the creature was a horseshoe snake, a nonvenomous species. He also noted an important caveat for the authorities: horseshoe snakes typically have very fine teeth, and if one tooth were to penetrate the bloodstream during a bite, it could pose a serious health risk to the patient.
To ensure the patient was out of danger, the officers quickly traveled to the hospital, collecting the snake for examination and to count each of its teeth one by one.
The snake was transported to Mundo Park Las Pajanosas Zoo. At the director’s desk, the zoo expert, together with the officers, carefully inspected every tooth, patiently managing the animal’s resistance.
With this information, the SEPRONA patrol informed the medical team that the patient did not face a danger due to the nonvenomous nature of the snake and that, at first glance, all teeth remained intact, which reduced the likelihood that a fang could enter the bloodstream and cause harm.