Several news outlets (including The Sun, Mirror and Invicta FM) are reporting that comedian Paul o'Grady was recently bitten by an adder at his home in Aldington, Kent. I am delighted to hear that Paul was not seriously hurt (although Paul was bitten, the adder did not inject any venom). Paul is quoted as saying:
"I didn't realise I was bitten at first but I looked at my right arm and there was blood gushing down from it... It really started to hurt and then I saw the snake on top of the logs. I think it had crawled from inside the hollow of the log."
Whilst I can fully understand Paul's reaction of sweeping the snake from his home (apparently unhurt I must stress), I do fear for the poor animal's welfare. The adder was obviously in hibernation and is now likely to suffer during this bout of very cold weather. If Paul would like a local expert to come along to help look for the snake (after all, his house is probably the warmest and most attractive proposition just at the moment and the adder could return), he should contact me and I would be only too happy to help.
On a more positive note, the observation represents a new 1 km square record for the county!
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