A two-year old girl bit and killed a snake to get her own back after the creature sunk its fangs into her leaving her with a nasty cut.
The toddler, who has only been identified by her initials SE, was playing in the back garden of her home in the village of Kantar in Bingol, Turkey, when neighbours heard a scream and came running out to see what had happened.
To their horror, the neighbours found the little girl had a 50cm snake clamped down in her mouth and a bite mark on her lower lip.
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After efficiently killing the snake, the neighbours carried out first aid on the girl and took her to hospital for treatment.
She was rushed to Bingol Maternity and Children's Hospital where she was put under observation for 24 hours.
Her very relieved dad Mehmet Ercan, who was at work when the snake struck, said: "Allah has protected her, really.
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"Our neighbours have told me that the snake was in the hand of my child, she was playing with it and then it bit her.
"Then she has bitten the snake back as a reaction."
She is now reported to be doing well and is recovering from the ordeal.
Last month, a new report claimed venomous snake bites were on the rise in the UK due to people owning the animals as pets.
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The report, published in Clinical Toxicology, explains that the possibility of encountering some of the most 'medically important snakes' is 'no longer limited by geography'.
"Most medically important snakes are indigenous to Asia, Africa, Latin America and Oceania, but [...] in both the United States and the United Kingdom, reptile ownership has been increasing among which snakes are the most common," the report explains.
The report compiled its data, by looking at snakebites enquiries to the UK National Poisons Information Service (NPIS) between 2009 and 2020, revealing that there were 321 exotic snakebites in 300 patients involving 68 different species during the period of 11 years.
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However, before you get too concerned you might end up having to bite and kill a snake in self-defence like the kid mentioned above - the chances of getting bitten by a venomous snake in the UK are still ‘remote’, according to the study’s author.
Pardeep Jagpal, lead author of the study from the NPIS’ Birmingham Unit, commented: “The prospect of being bitten by an exotic non-native snake in the UK is still remote, with bites typically occurring in those keeping such snakes as part of their occupation or hobby.
“Rapid access to expert clinical advice and the availability of appropriate anti-venom are important considerations when these accidents occur.”
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Topics: World News, Animals