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Adders like to hide beneath blueberry and cowberry bushes

There are very few species of snakes in Germany, and those that do exist are endangered and rarely seen. One of them is the adder, which likes to soak up the sun – sometimes quite close to a trail. They don’t attack unless they feel threatened, and most will escape without you even knowing they were there. However, you or your dog or child might startle them by suddenly getting off the trail and scrambling around in the blueberries. Incidents are very rare, and there have been no confirmed fatalities in the last 10 years or so. Nevertheless, snakebites can be serious, even though the poison itself is not deadly. It affects the circulatory system, and people suffering from cardio-vascular problems, dogs, children and the elderly are most at risk. To avoid trouble, stay on the trails and keep dogs on a leash. Adder habitat (such as around Schliffkopf) is often designated as a nature reserve, where getting off the trail and berry picking is prohibited.