Before last week, only people with an uncommon interest in reptiles had ever heard of the horn-nosed viper, a poisonous snake from southeastern Europe.
But then one turned up in Co Kerry, in a box of house tiles imported from Greece. Local workmen unwittingly risked their lives by transferring the deadly venomous snake with sticks into another box.
One bite from those fangs would have undoubtedly killed any of the men within two hours, because it is unlikely an antidote to the venom could have reached them in time.
Hospitals on the island of Ireland do not stock anti-venom, says Martin Ferguson, a senior pharmacist in medicines information at Beaumont Hospital.
In the extremely rare case of someone being bitten by a poisonous snake here, the National Poisons Information Centre would liaise with the treatment team in casualty and organise the appropriate anti-venom to be flown in from England, according to Mr Ferguson.
Identifying the offending creature was also critical because your fate hangs on the type of snake that bites you, said Peter Ward of the Herpetological Society of Ireland. Venom can act within minutes to hours, depending on the species.
To make matters more complicated, each particular type of venom needs a specific antidote, so it is important to correctly identify the type of snake that sinks its fangs into you.
If this is not possible on the spot, taking digital photos could help remote experts to identify the animal, according to Mr Ward. But the bottom line is to keep your distance.
"If you do not know what you are looking at, keep away," he said. "You could be dicing with death."
However, it is thankfully rare to meet a venomous snake in Ireland - even Dublin Zoo hosts only non-poisonous varieties, according to reptile expert Eddie O'Brien. If the zoo were ever to acquire venomous snakes, they would also need to get the relevant anti-venom and inform local hospitals, said Mr O'Brien.
But private owners who were interested in getting their own venomous animals may not be as scrupulous, which could be risky, he said.
In Ireland, you do not need a licence to keep a venomous snake, and the laws here need to become more stringent, said Thomas McElheron, whose reptile shop in Dublin does not stock any poisonous snakes.
Meanwhile, the snake was introduced to the media yesterday at the animal shelter in Tralee.
Entomologist and snake expert John Lavery identified it for the Kerry branch of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
He said the snake had been up to two months in the tiles pallet, where it was kept warm by a plastic seal on the material.
"At the very most, it is six months old," Mr Lavery said.
The snake had not eaten in weeks and was "really hungry", with folds in its skin, he said. However, it was now dining well on live mice.
The small snake was able to extend its mouth around a juvenile mouse and swallow it whole.
The odds of the snake surviving such a journey and living to emerge and actually be found at all were huge, Mr Lavery added.
It was a most dangerous snake but would only strike when it was warm enough, he said. - (Additional reporting Anne Lucey)
