za_snake_guy

In general, don’t believe anything you’ve seen in the movies / on TV. Even so-called “reality shows” or documentaries that talk about snakes are often dramatized and have incorrect information.

The list of misconceptions is huge, but these are some that I encounter often:

• Don’t try to chase away any snakes you see. Although many of them will flee at the sight of a human, some (like the Cape Cobra, Black Mamba, or Puff Adder) won’t hesitate to bite if you corner or threaten them. Rather keep watching any snakes from a safe distance of 5 meters and call a snake catcher.
• Don’t pick up any snakes, ever. Even if you pick them up by their tails, some of them can curl around and still bite you.
• Don’t try to grab a snake behind the head, although this is often done on TV it’s not safe unless you know exactly what you’re doing and you were able to identify the species. Some snakes have long fangs that can pierce through their jaws or necks and still prick you, and some snakes have mobile fangs that they can point backwards and still envenomate you with.
• If you’re bitten by a snake in South Africa, you don’t have to catch or kill the snake to take it with you. You can take a photo from a safe distance if the snake is still around, but your priority should be to get to a hospital with a trauma unit ASAP. We have only two antivenoms (a “polyvalent” one for Cape Cobras, Black Mambas, Puff Adders, Rinkhals, Mozambique Spitting Cobras, etc.), and a “monovalent” one for just the Boomslang. Based on your symptoms the doctors will know how to treat you.
• Don’t cut, suck, shock, or tie off bite wounds, this doesn’t help at all and may actually make things worse.
• If a spitting snake gets venom into someone’s eyes, don’t wash them out with milk - milk contains bacteria that may make things worse. Rather gently wash out their eyes with running water for 15 minutes, the go to a doctor. If you don’t have water, you can use anything you’d be willing to drink, but last of all milk. And don’t pee in people’s eyes unless you don’t like them.
• If you, a friend, or a pet was bitten by a venomous snake and the snake did inject venom, the only thing that’ll help is medical treatment at a hospital. Don’t try home remedies, don’t try to “walk it off”, and don’t believe any of the “old wives tales” that say you should inject your dog with petrol or cut off the tip of its ear - it’s all bunk.

I wouldn’t say scared. I’m respectful of them, though - we have several species that are dangerously venomous in South Africa.

When dealing with any snake I always stick to my training and safety protocols, I don’t take chances, and I don’t ever do something dangerous just to get a better photo or impress the homeowners.

Luckily we have pretty good medical recourse for treating snakebite here too - only about 12 people die from snakebite per year in South Africa (the number is unfortunately a lot higher in the rest of Africa).

Luckily not, and I aim to keep it that way!

I’ve found a couple of Corn Snakes, a Honduran Milksnake, and once a Reticulated Python, all of them were escaped pets.

In Southern Africa most serious bites are by Mozambique Spitting Cobras, Puff Adders, Stiletto Snakes, and Night Adders.

Further up in Africa the Saw-Scales Vipers account for the most bites if I remember correctly.