The German team is cautious about the appearance of poisonous snakes at the World Cup training camp
The German team's training camp in North Carolina encountered an unexpected situation when a poisonous snake was discovered, causing the players to be careful.
Captain Joshua Kimmich of the German team has just announced that a poisonous snake has been discovered at the team's training camp in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. “We saw a snake yesterday and were informed that it was venomous,” Kimmich said via BILD. "If you get bitten, you have to go to the hospital. I don't think you'll die, but it's definitely dangerous. I have a bit of respect for the snakes here. In Germany, there aren't that many dangerous animals."
Kimmich expressed concern: "I feel that if you step on a snake like that, it could end badly. That's why we're trying to be careful when encountering animals here." According to information, this snake is a copper snake, a very common snake in the area. In fact, according to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, copperheads account for 90% of venomous snake bites in the state.
Although the bites can be painful, they are not considered life-threatening. However, copperheads, according to the recommendation, "should be left alone". Kimmich and his teammates are remaining vigilant. The German team won their first match of the tournament, defeating Curacao 7-1 in Houston. This win almost guaranteed them a place in the next round, so the following days were fairly quiet in terms of news.
To prove that point, Kimmich, an avid gardener, spent part of his press conference on Tuesday talking about local magnolia trees. They are larger in Germany, and bloom more often. So, aside from the tension over the venomous snake — Schlangenalarm, in German — the story has become lighter. However, this is not the first time the German team has encountered disruption by wildlife or nature at an international tournament. During the 2024 European Championships they hosted, Germany's training camp at Herzogenaurach, once a US military base in Bavaria, was infested with mosquitoes. Floodwaters, warm weather and lack of wind have attracted mosquitoes in record numbers, to the point where local suppliers are actually experiencing shortages of mosquito repellent. Ultimately, Germany's headquarters had to be sprayed with cocoa scent, which may have helped repel mosquitoes but created such an unpleasant smell that players, coaches and support staff, who were bitten a lot, had to spend many evenings during the tournament indoors. Still, it's better to encounter a mosquito than a poisonous snake. Germany will face Ivory Coast on Saturday in Toronto.
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