Visitors to Serbian fortress worry about "venomous" warning - but many are still tempting fate

Foto: Telegraf.rs

Visitors to the Golubac Fortress need to know that they are in a natural environment and that, as guests in inside this old fortification, they can come across the hosts - horned vipers.

So don't panic if you see this warning sign. It's not unsafe to be inside the fortress, but precisely because of the presence of snakes you can only go to some parts of it accompanied by a tour guide.

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Photo: Telegraf.rs

And of course, as guests, you also need to know some rules - there is no chasing the animals, putting your hands into the cracks in the walls, and, when you see a snake, be calm, have no fear and make no unnecessary movements. If you don't bother it, it won't bother you.

Photo: Telegraf.rs

"Dear visitors, the Golubac Fortress is located in the Djerdap National Park, which makes it a habitat for a number of wild animals. One of these animals is the horned viper (Vipera Ammodytes). It is a venomous snake, a danger to humans almost exclusively in situations where it feels threatened (when a person inadvertently steps on it, chases it, tries to catch it, etc.) and spends most of its time sleeping and basking in the sun. In most cases, they will not respond to humans even if they pass right by it," the management of the fortress posted earlier on Facebook.

As they explained, in the lower levels of the fortress (the green zone), visitors are unlikely to see a snake - however, the upper zones (red and black) are where they can be encountered.

Foto: Telegraf.rs

"That's why these can be accessed only with a tour guide. Unfortunately, since the opening of the fortress, we have had situations where visitors, especially children, encouraged by their parents, would chase various other animals, put their hands inbetween the rocks, jump into sections off the paths, etc. Such behavior is strictly forbidden, precisely because of the potential dangers such as vipers. So please - do not endanger your own safety and that of your children, and respect the nature and animals that live here," the management of the fortress said in its appeal.

VIDEO: This is the Golubac Fortress

(M. B.)