View of Mount Everest from Base Camp in Nepal. Image: keystone
A Japanese man was bitten at the base camp of the world’s highest mountain. Climate change is creating new habitats for reptiles.
July 2, 2026, 10:22 p.mJuly 2, 2026, 10:22 p.m
Thomas Wanhoff / t-online
The danger of snakebites is growing in the Solukhumbu region of Nepal, where Mount Everest is located. Hospitals in the mountainous regions have started ordering antivenom, according to a report in the Himalayan Times. This includes a clinic in Sotang, a community at an altitude of 2,173 meters.
According to rural municipality chairman Khilaraj Basnet, snakebites are now so common that local authorities are lobbying the central and provincial governments to set up a specialized snakebite treatment center at Sotang Primary Hospital.
According to a report in the British Telegraph, experts say that venomous snakes such as the king cobra are moving to higher regions in Nepal due to climate change and the associated higher temperatures. There they endanger tourists and locals.
30 snakebite victims treated
“Since April 14, around 30 snakebite victims have sought treatment in our hospital,” said Dr. Pawan Moktan, the senior doctor at the hospital in Sotang, according to the Himalayan Times. “Two of the victims were bitten by poisonous snakes and were referred to Kathmandu for specialized treatment.”
Officials say similar requests have been received from other hospitals in Nepal’s hilly and mountainous regions as doctors report an increase in venomous bites outside the snakes’ usual range. “We are observing that snakes are moving from the plains into the hilly regions,” said Nepalese doctor and snake expert Sanjib Kumar Sharma to the Telegraph.
Last year he had to treat a Japanese mountain hiker near the base camp who was bitten by a pit viper. The case shows that poisonous snakes no longer only pose a danger in the valley, but have also made their way into the mountains.
Last year, wildlife rescuers captured 10 poisonous snakes, including nine king cobras, in an area near Mount Everest, the Telegraph reports. “If antivenom is not developed or made available for the snakes found in the mountains, there is a possibility that more snakebite deaths will occur in these regions,” said Sharma, who advises the Nepalese government on snake issues.
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