Slithering Snakes visit our Eco-Rangers

Friday 24th January 2014 was an exciting day for our young Eco-Rangers. The education center was packed with excited children and parents for each of the three groups.

François van Zyl and his fascinating, yet beautiful collection of snakes paid us a visit. Francios is a zoologist who has been involved in the study of snakes and the supply of venom for vaccinations for a number of years. Clearly, Francios is passionate about snakes and he wishes to share as much information so as to raise awareness and understanding for these often misunderstood creatures. There is a need to educate our children and their families about our local snakes in the hope of dispelling myths and fears.

More often than not, the word snake strikes fear into the hearts of many who hear it. When a snake is encountered, panic hits and ones natural reaction is to run away or pound the poor creature to death. The truth is, snakes are not all bad. In actual fact, they play a vital role in the natural world. For instance many keep the rodent populations down, the cobra eats the Puff adder . . . thus killing off the cobra means the puff adder population increases. It is all a fine balance.

Snakes live a somewhat secretive life out in the wild minding their business. They will move around in search of pray, hide in holes or near rocks etc. However, they are not out to attack you. They usually attack as a result of being cornered or frightened . . . and then this is in self defence. We’ll discuss what to do when you encounter a snake . . . but before we do that, lets move onto François and his snakes.

Francios engaged with the children in an enthusiastic, light hearted, yet calm manner. His extensive knowledge and love for these creatures flowed around the room as children and adults alike began to sit up alert and on the edge of their seats. For some, sitting still and quietly was almost impossible. Behind Francios there were a number of containers holding a variety of snakes which in time would be shown to the audience. The first snake in the spot light was the puff adder. This intricately patterned snake is one of the deadliest in Africa because it is responsible for the most human fatalities. Eight out of every ten snake bites are from the Puff Adder. This snake was in Perspex box so there was no actual danger and the children could have a good, close look as this sluggish snake. One fascinating fact about puff adders is that they produce more live young than any other snake.

Following the Puff Adder was the venomous Cape Cobra – also in a perspex box. The cobra is an active snake in comparison to the rather still Puff Adder. This snake’s milky blue eye’s glared at us through the Perspex. Any movement caused her to stand up, hood open ready to strike. These snakes don’t see well and thus react on movement. While looking at the Cobra and Puff adder, Francios explained the difference between a venomous snake and a dangerous snake.

Next we were introduced to a non toxic egg eating snake. This was a small snake with stunning markings and a rough, raspy skin. One volunteer was called forward to pull our this surprise snake from a bag. She was a brave young girl who stood as still as a statue once she has picked up the snake. Once placed on the table next to Francios, she twisted and swirled her body as she showed us a series of athletic dry strikes. This snake has no teeth, so she pretends to strike and misses. This is to confuse any creature pesuing her. She feeds exclusively on eggs and will devour an egg which is usually several times larger than her diameter. When the egg has travelled down the throat, they contract their muscles and move from side to side. This presses the eggshell against special protrusions on the snake’s vertebrae, which pierce the egg. When they have removed all the contents of the egg, they regurgitate the shell.

The final small snake was the placid Ball python. The Ball python is given this name because when threatened they roll themselves into a tight ball, tucking their head inside their coils. The children were able to touch this snake which had a smooth, almost silky skin.

To close the discussion, François produced the star of the show. Four children were asked to volunteer and stand in front, facing the audience. They were not to look behind them and they were asked to hold their arms out, palms facing up, elbows drawn into the waist. Meanwhile, François was behind them lifting his magnificent Burmese Python called Puzzle. She was a good four meters in length and no doubt weighed at least 50kg’s possibly more. Before the children knew what was happening, they found themselves holding this huge beauty, her tail reaching the floor and her head slithering around where Francios stood keeping an eye on her. The surprised faces, saucer like eyes and gaping mouths said it all. Well done to our brave volunteers for keeping calm and collected.

Burmese Pythons are not venomous, rather that are constrictors. In other words they don’t have fangs. They do have back curving teeth which they grab prey with. The Burmese python is commonly kept as a pet due to their docile nature. An inexperienced snake keeper who takes home a 50-centimeter hatchling is, within a year, responsible for a brawny 2.4-meter predator. Many cannot handle their giant snakes, and they are unable to find new homes for them. This is a problem as people then release them into the wild (especially in America). Do your homework before embarking on a hobby of keeping snakes. The Burmese Python is not an African snake, they are found in southern China, Burma, Indochina, Thailand, and the Malay Archipelago.

While François discussed his gorgeous Puzzle, she was draped around his neck and placidly allowed us to touch her smooth, almost plastic wrapped skin. What incredible colours and patterns!

We trust all our Eco-Rangers enjoyed the snake show. And we hope you no longer perceive a snake as a frightening, slimy, slithering creature with evil intent. Rather, we hope you see them as fascinating beauty requiring respect and understanding.

A big thank you to Francios for sharing his snakes and extensive knowledge with our Eco-Rangers.

You can find out more about Francios here:
http://slitheringfynbos.com

What to do if you are bitten by a snake:
We contacted the Tygerberg Poison centre to find out what best to do in case of a snake bite. The most important is to keep the patient calm and bring him/her to the closest medical facility. If possible phone beforehand that they know you’re coming. They will take over the patient and even if they don’t stock anti-venom, they’ll know where to get it and what to do.

For any dogs bitten the same applies. Phone your vet and bring the dog in as soon as possible.

What to do if you encounter a snake:
If you need a snake to be removed from your property in the Helderberg, you can contact Jaco at 084 645 8810.

While you wait for the snake handler to arrive, try to identify the snake as venomous or non-venomous from a safe distance. Keeping children and pets away.

If you are sure it is a non-venomous snake, you can try to remove it using a large wastebasket or bucket with lid and a broom. Tip the bucket onto its side, and use the broom to gently “chase” the snake into the bucket. Then, tip the bucket upright and, taking care to keep your hands away from the open top, replace the lid. You can then easily transport and release the snake in a nearby natural area.

Here is some more useful information:
http://www.capesnakeconservation.com/snake-removal/

http://www.nature-reserve.co.za/snake-encounter-tips.html