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TIFU by free-handling a highly venomous snake

I am in the mountains of Tuscany, Italy on vacation with my family. By the way, it absolutely gorgeous here! If I can put photos in the comments I may!

Something to know about me is that I possess a deep passion and appreciation for all snakes. I actually have autism spectrum disorder, which has nothing to do with the choices made here directly, though the adhd might (this is more of a joke acknowledging the impulsivity that is so often part of the disorder that I do indeed possess, not shifting the blame onto the condition). Anyway, my special interest is all things reptiles and has been for as long as I can remember. I’ve owned a few reptiles including a ball python named Mushu and a Kenyan Sand Boa named Tele (short for George Philip Teleman the baroque composer). Tele actually escaped two years ago and I suppose at that time I could’ve deserved to have made a TIFU post as well, as it surely had to have been an error on my part with closing or setting up the enclosure. I research snakes all the time, watch reptile videos constantly; even fall asleep to them! At one point I wanted to be a wildlife or exotic veterinarian! (Ended up being a music teacher though haha). 

You’d think based on how much I know about them I’d have used more common sense here, but nope. Today (technically yesterday now) I was coming back from an outing with my family and happened upon a section of trail leading up to the villa that was clearly prime snake territory. Woodsy, lots of leaf matter and places to hide and blend in. It was perfect. So I immediately said “I bet I could probably find a snake over here”. Now, I had already researched a bit about snakes in the area, in fact it was one of the first things I did. I knew there was one venomous species in the area out of the three total that were present. 

Within seconds my eyes found him. An adorable, rather small, snake, maybe a foot or foot and a quarter long. Stone gray with black diamond-like patterning down its body. I began to approach. It was late afternoon/early evening (6:00 pm) so it had already begun to cool down outside despite the daytime having been very hot due to it being late May. When cooler out, reptiles are much calmer/slower and easier to catch and handle, especially without getting bitten. 
I’ve handled quite a few wild snakes before, but all garter snakes and I knew with certainty that’s what they all were. Before anyone judges and says “oh leave them alone”, despite how much I mess up in this story, I know HOW to handle a snake properly causing absolutely minimal stress. I also know how to address a snake bite from a great deal of research, despite never having been bitten. Herping is a real and legitimate hobby that, when done correctly and SAFELY, is not problematic toward nature. (Of course, the safely part is where I failed here). 

I thought to myself, “1/3, yeah I like those odds”. and got closer to examine it. I noted it did have a venomous sort of look to it, but didn’t have the hornlike structure adults of the species had, and neglected to consider as the snake was clearly a juvenile that might be why, rather than it being a separate species. Well, long story short, I had a little handling and photo shoot session with the little guy. Posing, holding in different positions, etc. still while respecting the snake and holding it in an appropriate way to hold a typical snake, but missing ALL the PPE (personal protective equipment). needed to be holding such a venomous creature. 

   Now, thankfully I was not bitten, but I sure did mess up. When I posted to the subreddit to ID the species I was quickly flagged for dangerous handling and rightly annihilated in the comments. Wish I could attach photos here, maybe I’ll try in the comments as the dude really was a cutie. However, even if I do attach photos I want to make it abundantly clear I do not condone the handling of unknown wildlife, especially potentially dangerous wildlife, or the intentional handling of venomous snakes. Do. Your. Research!!!! 

Upon further research the reaction to an asp viper is really gnarly. 4% fatality rate which isn’t the worst but it’s no bee sting especially for someone with an autoimmune condition and heart disease already. 

TL;DR: I love snakes and I’m on vacation in Italy. I picked up a cute looking snake only to later find out it was highly venomous and get roasted by the snake ID subreddit for my severely dangerous life choices. 

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