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Is it true there are poisonous snakes in rural Bulgaria? And if true what are the areas to avoid living in? - @Pumarosa200

Yes, as there are like the rest of Europe. The chances of being bitten are slim.

@Pumarosa200

Yes there are and they can be anywhere which is overgrown, mountains or forest! Best get a cat if your in a rural forested area as are great at keeping on top of such as well as mice etc…

I would be more worried about ticks than snakes. We have snakes here in Austria and in my area. I have yet to see one in 17 years, although my neighbours say they have seen them around.

People in the Balkans - and especially those living in rural areas, who should know better since they're happy to dole out their, often invented/totally erroneous "folk wisdom" at any and every opportunity - will assure you that every "snake" you may encounter is highly venomous and/or can strike you dead with the merest glance.  Here in Bulgaria, you'll often find slow worms beaten to death due to their imaginary threat, and pointing out that they aren't even snakes will get you the same derisive response as pointing out that tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers are fruits and not vegetables.

The annual rate of people killed by a venomous snake here in Bulgaria is zero per 100,000 people, while the chances of being bitten at all are approximately 2.  On the other hand, your chances of being killed or seriously injured in a road traffic accident are around 150. 

If you want to be safe, I'd suggest that you should be looking for somewhere  with no motor vehicles rather than no snakes...😎

Ticks are definitely more likely to cause problems than snakes. I remove a few from the neighbours' cat every spring, and our region has a high rate of Lyme Disease.

Ticks are most active from spring to summer and autumn, especially after rain in tall grassy areas. These ticks can transfer diseases like Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis to animals and humans through bites. Lyme disease symptoms include redness around the bite and can lead to nervous system and joint damage. While there is no vaccine for Lyme disease, early detection and antibiotic treatment are effective. There is, however, a vaccine for tick-borne encephalitis.

Broadly speaking, Bulgaria has a Lyme incidence similar to that of the UK.  However, there are hotspots, primarily the north of the country and especially around Gabrovo; it's well below average in the Kardzhali area.

The countries with the highest incidence in Europe are Estonia, Lithuania, Slovenia - and Switzerland! Next come France, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Finland and Latvia. The runners-up are: Belarus, Croatia, Denmark, UK, Hungary, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia and Sweden.

I've mentioned it before, so apologies for bringing up such a "sensitive" topic but I did about an hour's gardening two summers ago wearing shorts - and was rewarded by the discovery of a tick feasting on Uncle Jim's Family Jewels....😨

I have no symptoms to report but strongly suspect that the effects of rakiya counteract those of encephalitis...😎🥃

That's a good plan for how to deal with a tick bite! Plenty of rakiya!