🐍 MORE THAN 90% OF INCIDENTS WITH VENOMOUS SNAKES IN NORTH CAROLINA INVOLVE THIS SPECIES.
Inside the facilities of Wake Forest University, in Winston-Salem, the German national team came across something no World Cup preparation manual accounts for: a “copperhead” (Agkistrodon contortrix), the most common venomous snake in the region and the only one that normally inhabits urban areas of North Carolina according to the state’s Wildlife Resources Commission. Joshua Kimmich was the one who revealed the episode in statements to the newspaper Bild: a bite would not be fatal, but it would require going straight to the hospital. No injuries, but nerves on edge. 😬
The squad stepped up surveillance and adjusted training and rest routines. And they are not the only ones: Austria banned its players from using bicycles near its base in Santa Bárbara, and Switzerland detected a “Snake Area” in the forest next to its complex in San Diego and restricted access. The 2026 World Cup has an opponent no coach could prepare for. 🏆
