5,578 Snake Capture Dispatches in the First Half of This Year
Due to Abnormal Climate, Be Careful at Night
As the weather cools down in the mornings and evenings, more citizens are taking walks around riversides, but incidents involving snake appearances are occurring even late at night. Experts advise that when temperatures rise due to abnormal climate conditions such as tropical nights, snakes become more active, and special caution is needed during the evening hours when visibility is reduced.
According to the Fire Department Rescue Information System, the number of emergency dispatches for snake capture last year was 15,115, an 89% increase compared to 7,980 cases in 2019, four years earlier. The number of dispatches from January to June this year was also recorded at 5,578.
Snake appearances tend to increase mainly in summer, when temperatures rise, and again in autumn, when the weather cools down. Snakes are cold-blooded animals that change their body temperature according to the external environment. To maintain an appropriate body temperature, they hibernate curled up during the cold winter months and move around in cool shaded areas during the hot summer months to survive.
In fact, over the past five years (2019?2023), the total number of emergency dispatches for snake capture was 53,442, of which 67.2%, or 35,925 cases, occurred between June and September. A Fire Department official stated, "Snake appearance incidents mainly occur during the hot summer and autumn when people go to fields for ancestral rites or grass cutting. The time of day when snakebite incidents frequently happen is between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., so special caution is needed in the evening when visibility narrows."
Experts believe that this year, with the longest period of tropical nights and higher temperatures than usual, snakes are more actively moving. Additionally, urban development has changed the snakes’ activity range, increasing the frequency of contact with people.
Professor Daesik Park of the Department of Science Education at Kangwon National University said, "Recently, nighttime temperatures have been high, so snakes are more active in the evening than before. Moreover, the paths snakes used to travel have disappeared due to urban development, exposing their habitats and increasing contact with people. If bitten by a snake, it is best to wash the bitten area with clean water and visit a nearby health center or hospital. It is also advisable to avoid riverside areas where snakes are likely to appear, especially during nighttime hours when visibility is limited."
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