Ms West had been on vacation with her wife Kate when she was bitten (Picture: Sam West)
A British tourist was rushed to intensive care after a venomous snake bit her on her birthday whilst she was on holiday in Cyprus.
Sam West, from Shifnal, Shropshire, had been partaking in a meditation session earlier this month when she was bitten on the leg by a blunt-nosed viper.
She had been travelling with tour operator TUI, who said they are ‘liasing directly with the guest to provide our full support’.
Horrific photos showed the bite area with heavy bruising and a reaction from the 1.5 metre long snake – putting Ms West in intensive care for four days.
She recalled: ‘It happened quickly, before I had time to react, bit me just above my left ankle.
Blunt nosed viper snakes have a powerful bite (Picture: Getty)
What to do if you’re bitten by a snake
Keep the part of your body that was bitten as still as you can
Lie in the recovery position if you are able
Try to remember the colour and pattern of the snake to tell your doctor
Take off any jewelry and loosen clothes near the bite, in case your skin swells
What do NOT do
Do not go near the snake, or try to catch/kill it
Do not try to suck or cut the poison (venom) out of the bite
Do not tie anything tightly round the part of the body where the bite is
Do not take aspirin or ibuprofen, as they can make bleeding worse
‘I started to shake the snake off as I shouted that I had just been bitten by a snake. My leg was burning and throbbing, the pain was instantaneous.’
The hotel has since called pest control and has cut back the vegetation around the meditation platform where Ms West was bitten.
Ms West said TUI representatives had been very supportive during her recovery.
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The blunt nose viper is one of three venomous snakes that live on Cyprus – the others include cat snakes and the eastern Montpellier snake.
A bite from a blunt nose viper is incredibly painful – those who are bitten by one often become seriously ill, and some have even died.
They are most active during the day, except in summer when they are more active in the mornings and evenings.
Ms West was finally discharged from hospital last Monday, but is not expected to be deemed fit to fly until today.
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