Don’t panic: what Cyprus’s snake experts want you to know

Living in Cyprus animal welfareTop News Don’t panic: what Cyprus’s snake experts want you to know Fina Blunt Nosed Viper Cyprus Snakes Relevant News Don’t panic: what Cyprus’s snake experts want you to know 13 July 2026 France sends water bombers to tackle wildfire outside Paris 13 July 2026 Ayia Napa: The violence that tarnishes it and the push for quality tourism 13 July 2026 newsroom 13 July 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Most people flinch at the word “snake.” It’s one of our oldest instincts, hardwired into us by ancestors who needed it to survive. But is there any real reason for that fear in Cyprus today? The Department of Environment and the European Pandotira project, which manages the Natura 2000 network in Cyprus, explain the role snakes play in nature and offer practical safety guidance, answering key questions and making clear why, based on their experience, there is no reason to panic. Are snakes useful to us? It is easy to forget, especially indoors and away from nature, but every animal plays an important role, the Department says. Human health and quality of life are directly tied to the health of the natural environment and the balances that govern it, according to the Department. Snakes contribute to human wellbeing in several ways, it explains. Friends to farmers: rodents make up a significant part of snakes’ diet, and mice and rats left unchecked, without natural predators, cause serious damage to crops such as carob trees, the Department notes. They protect against disease: by eating rodents, snakes help protect people from illnesses such as leptospirosis and Lyme disease, which rodents can carry and transmit via ticks, according to the Department. Rodenticides used to control rodent populations are toxic and dangerous to humans, it warns, and also kill many natural predators, including snakes and birds of prey that feed on poisoned rodents. As a result, rather than reducing rodent numbers, these poisons tend to increase them over time by removing their natural predators, the Department says. They matter to medicine: an increasing number of medicines are developed from enzymes and toxins found in snake venom, the Department notes, including anticoagulants and drugs used to treat heart attacks and strokes. They support the food chain: beyond their role as predators, snakes are themselves prey for many other animals, particularly birds of prey, playing a key role in the balance of Cyprus’s biodiversity, according to the Department. Do we have dangerous or deadly snakes in Cyprus? Animals attack, or rather defend themselves, and become dangerous only when they feel threatened, the Department explains. Cyprus has three venomous snake species, it says. Of these, only the fina — also known as blunt-nosed viper (Macrovipera lebetinus) — has venom toxic enough to cause harm to humans. The other two, the saita (Malpolon insignitus) and the xylodropis (Telescopus fallax), are venomous but their bites cannot cause any significant harm to people and are considered completely harmless, according to the Department. Fina The fina is dangerous, but there is no reason to panic, it stresses, adding that the species is far less dangerous than people think. It never attacks humans, the Department says, but may bite defensively if approached too closely, stepped on, or if someone tries to catch it. Its venom is not neurotoxic, meaning it does not affect the nervous system, unlike the venom of certain species found on other continents, such as cobras or mambas, where the effects would be far more serious, it explains. The fina’s venom is mainly cytotoxic and haemotoxic, affecting tissue and blood, and spreads mainly through the lymphatic system rather than the bloodstream, according to the Department. This means it takes time to act, giving several hours to reach the nearest hospital, it says. A fina bite will hurt, and recovery may take a few days, but it will not be fatal, the Department says. Dozens of people are bitten by finas in Cyprus every year, yet deaths are extremely rare and are usually the result of allergic shock or an underlying medical condition, it adds. Xylodropis Getting to hospital after a fina bite is essential and should happen without delay, the Department advises. Although there is generally enough time to reach a hospital safely from anywhere on the island, the sooner treatment begins, the less tissue damage the venom will cause, and the faster recovery will be, it says. Particular care should be taken with young children, the elderly and other vulnerable groups, who may be affected more quickly and severely by the venom and should be treated as a priority, according to the Department. Saita Why not just kill them to save lives? More lives would be put at risk by exterminating snakes than by leaving them alone, the Department says. Snakes play an important role in maintaining the balance of ecosystems, and disrupting that fragile balance puts people in danger, it warns. Snakes belong to the natural environment of Cyprus, having lived on the island for millions of years, far longer than humans, according to the Department. The island’s environment developed and evolved alongside them, maintaining an ecological balance, it explains, and removing snakes from that balance would create problems of its own. One easily understood example is the growth of prey populations, particularly rats, the Department says. Finas are highly effective predators of large rats, and without them, rat populations would grow, especially in areas lacking other predators such as barn owls, it notes. Rats pose a far greater problem for people, both economically, through crop destruction, and in public health terms, since they carry diseases that can easily spread to humans, according to the Department. How is a fina likely to behave? Finas do not wake up thinking about biting people, the Department says. They go about their daily lives like any animal struggling to survive, it explains: warming themselves in the sun, cooling off in the shade, hunting for food, and making use of what nature offers. The fina is a slow-moving viper species, unlike most of the island’s other snakes, according to the Department. This makes it rely more heavily on camouflage and stillness, hoping to go unnoticed, since snakes see humans as large predators, it says. When camouflage isn’t enough and a person keeps approaching, the next line of defence is to flee, if given the space, or to hiss as a warning, the Department explains. The only situations in which a fina will try to bite are if it is stepped on (and even then, not always), picked up, lifted off the ground, or approached too closely, according to the Department. It stresses that bites most often occur when someone tries to kill a fina or catch it for any reason. Finas do not lunge at people and do not chase in order to bite, the Department says. On the contrary, they are afraid of humans and do everything they can to avoid contact in order to survive, it adds. The most effective way to stay safe in the countryside is to always watch where you step and where you put your hands, the Department advises. It also recommends wearing hiking boots or sturdy footwear rather than open shoes when hiking or working outdoors. What should someone do if bitten by a snake? It is important to know what not to do as well as what to do, the Department says. There is no reason to panic, it stresses. People should not cut open the wound or try to suck out the venom, which it says only happens in films. Nor should the bite be ignored, or the person get behind the wheel of a car. If the snake responsible is known for certain not to be a fina, there is no cause for concern, according to the Department. It recommends washing the wound with soap to reduce the small risk of bacterial infection, noting that snakes feed on rats and bacteria can potentially be transferred through a bite. As a precaution, it also suggests seeking hospital treatment for the wound. If a fina bite is suspected, it is important to stay calm, the Department says, describing panic as “the worst enemy” in this context. There is enough time to reach the nearest hospital safely from anywhere on the island, it adds. It advises calling 112 to report the incident so hospital staff are informed and prepared, and calling an ambulance if no one is available to drive. The Department warns against driving after being bitten, and stresses that keeping the bitten limb still is important to limit the spread of venom to surrounding tissue. It also warns against applying a tourniquet, attempting to suck out the venom, or taking any medication without medical guidance. How can snakes be kept out of gardens and homes? No animal has any interest in entering a human home, except perhaps cockroaches, the Department says. When snakes do enter gardens, it is usually by mistake or out of desperation, in search of food, shelter or a cool place to rest during summer, it explains. There are ways to discourage snakes from an area, and countless other methods with no proven effect whatsoever, according to the Department. In most cases, it says, snakes are simply passing visitors and will leave on their own. Substances such as sulphur, mothballs or other commercial chemical products are toxic and highly dangerous to humans, with no proven effect in repelling snakes, the Department warns. Many commercial repellents do not disclose their active ingredients, which it says makes them potentially even more dangerous. Natural preparations based on garlic or lavender are preferable to chemicals, but their effectiveness still requires confirmation, according to the Department, and the same applies to vibration-emitting devices marketed as snake deterrents. Such measures may make people feel safer, the Department says, but in practice, a snake following the scent of a rat into a garden will not abandon its hunt because something there is unpleasant to it. It will catch its prey and then move on, it explains. What actually works is giving a snake no reason to visit in the first place, according to the Department. Snakes are often drawn to homes by a source of food or suitable hiding places, it says, and since the presence of snakes usually indicates the presence of rodents, the priority should be keeping an area that does not attract rodents. The Department recommends: Removing food scraps and sources of water, such as leaking irrigation pipes, which attract mice. Cutting tall grass and clearing away piles of material that could provide hiding places for rodents and snakes alike. Clearing areas beneath bushes and trees, which can also provide hiding places for snakes. The Department warns against using poison, adhesive tape or nets to catch or kill snakes, saying these methods are not selective about which animals they harm and usually lead to a slow, agonising death. Can a black snake nearby help keep venomous snakes away? The black snake (known as therko or pervolaris) is an important ally to humans, the Department says, comparing the relationship to the old saying that the enemy of one’s enemy is a friend. Villagers and farmers have long felt safer knowing a black snake lived in their orchard or garden, it notes, with some historically bringing in and caring for black snakes themselves to protect against finas, since black snakes are natural predators of the fina. They are larger, according to the Department, with a large black snake capable of reaching 2.5 to 3 metres, and are sturdier and strong enough to kill and feed on finas. This does not necessarily mean finas are absent wherever black snakes are found, it cautions, just as areas with rodent-eating snakes are not necessarily free of mice. Still, the presence of a large black snake in an area will make a fina think twice before approaching, the Department says. Black snake Every species matters and has its role, Department says Every species that forms part of a region’s biodiversity plays a distinct and irreplaceable role, the Department says. Allowing animals to function naturally, as predators, prey and members of the ecosystems to which they belong, helps maintain an ecological balance on which humans themselves depend, it adds. The Department is urging people to let snakes play their natural role in that balance, and to contact the police or fire service if they see an injured snake or one enters an inhabited space. View this post on Instagram A post shared by en.philenews (@en.philenews) Read more: Are snakes worth worrying about in Cyprus? 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