Delia Webb, from the group, told Radio Cornwall it was unusual for the snake to be so exposed. <\/p>\n
She said: “Adders like basking in the sun while they bring their body temperatures up to a higher temperature. <\/p>\n
“But once they’re at their temperature, they don’t like the full sun. So being on a sandy cove, with no cover and no means of getting anything to eat, was not good for the adder.”<\/p>\n
Webb said adders did not want to attack humans or dogs but would if they felt threatened and said people should keep their distance. <\/p>\n
“Look ahead, keep your dogs and your children behind you and make noise; they don’t like noise,” she added.<\/p>\n
Adders are the UK’s only venomous snakes and are protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.<\/p>\n
Shauna Walsh, PDSA vet nurse, recently said their bites were “uncommon”, but should be treated as an emergency<\/a>, where symptoms could develop “between a couple of minutes to an hour”.<\/p>\n She said mild symptoms included pain and swelling around the bite, limping if bitten on a leg, with more serious symptoms including vomiting and diarrhoea, pale gums, and drooling.<\/p>\n “If you think your dog has been bitten, stay calm and keep them as still as possible to slow the spread of venom,” Walsh said.<\/p>\n Follow BBC Cornwall on X, external<\/a>, Facebook, external<\/a> and Instagram, external<\/a>. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk, external<\/a>.<\/p>\n