Wyprawa badawcza 2016 Wenezuela

The Jungle Walk to the Poisonous Snakes

It can be summed up with few animals and deep mud. No matter – everyone needs to have experienced that at least once. Although the teams weren’t exactly silent, rather the contrary, we almost had a serious accident. One of us stepped over a fallen tree trunk right near a highly poisonous pit viper. High rubber boots and luck prevented a bite. Most animals flee from approaching humans. Only pit vipers rely on their poison and wait patiently. The problem with poison bites in the rainforest is mainly the distance to the rescuing help which is too far away. We were armed with satellite telephones and we had our physician Ludwig with us, but with a strong bite with plenty of injected poison any help would have been too late. That’s why we were all advised to be very carefully the very first evening. The photos show very clearly that the atmosphere, despite half sunken team members, was absolutely positive. Our guides showed us how to drink water out of lianas, how balsa trees bleed and that their bark is a very good help for open wounds, how to get palm hearts from the tree, what they taste like and how to get some edible fruit as well as drinkable fruits. Should we lose our guide and get lost, our survival would be guaranteed!