An innovative approach to study human-snake interactions: insights into tourists’ perception of vipers and their ability to detect them

In many cultures, snakes are perceived in a markedly negative light, causing hostile attitudes, fear and phobias in people, which often leads to their persecution and killing. Studies on human perceptions of snakes are typically survey-based, while people’s ability to detect them is usually conducted under controlled artificial conditions. Studies that simulate natural circumstances of human–snake encounters, however, remain scarce. The present study recreated natural human–snake encounters by conducting in situ experiments with viper models and carcasses, in order to assess tourists’ ability to detect vipers ( Vipera berus and Vipera ammodytes ) and to evaluate their reactions. Most people did not detect the vipers when they were placed on the tourist paths, and almost none detected vipers positioned in the grass next to the paths. On the paths, adult vipers were detected significantly more often than juveniles. Most tourists showed interest and no signs of fear during their encounters with the vipers, while a very small number of people exhibited strong fear or aggressive behavior. Tourists were more likely to display no interest and moderate fear toward adult vipers than toward juveniles. Most participants were able either to correctly identify the species or at least recognize that the snake was venomous. These results demonstrate that this innovative approach provides valuable insights into different aspects of human–snake interactions and highlight the usefulness of snake models in such studies.