With sunny days and warmer temperatures, more people are enjoying the outdoors and with it being “snake season” human and reptile interactions may be inevitable.
Sean West, a snake rescuer in the Deep South, who has been rescuing snakes to “conserve the diminishing population” says he had several call outs in recent weeks.
“In the past month I’ve had close to 10 puff-adders, two boomslang, a few house snakes and one Cape cobra.
“These are only the successful call outs; others include people have lost sight of the snake and it has disappeared before I arrived.”
He added the type of snakes he is usually called out to greatly depends on the time of year, but that most successful call outs are puff-adders.
“Sightings will greatly increase as the temperatures keep climbing.
“Snakes are ectothermic, which basically means they rely on external sources of heat for energy, so as the temperature rises the snakes will have more energy and be on the hunt for their prey.”
West, who lives in Noordhoek, says most call outs he receives are between 13:00 and 19:00, but call out times vary as snakes can show up at any time of day.
“Any temperature above 20 degrees is usually when snake call outs happen, but again it can vary. If it’s 25 degrees and above there will more than likely be at least one snake call in the Deep South.”
West rescues snakes on a part-time basis and learnt how to handle snakes through personal friends who have been rescuing reptiles for a very long time, he says.
“I would love to catch snakes as a full-time job, but between the snakes not being active most of the year and the growing costs to run a vehicle it is not possible for this to be an only source of income.
“Not to mention most people do not pay for the call outs you attend; most believe it’s a free service.
“I only catch snakes to help and conserve the diminishing population of snakes, but it does put a financial strain on you when you’re constantly driving hundreds of kilometers a week to get to the house that called, then drive around to find a suitable area for release and then back to your house.”
Recalling his most memorable snake rescue, West says he was called to Chapman’s Bay estate where he captured his first boomslang.
“It was memorable because it was my first boomslang call and I spent almost two hours trying to catch this snake.
“This snake was in a stand-alone tree, only about eight metres tall, but the camouflage and speed of the animal meant that you’d lose sight of it in an instant.
“You would not think a black and bright yellow snake would disappear in a green tree, but they do.
“So, I was climbing up and down the tree as well as a three metre wall trying to find the snake.
“I eventually got the snake while standing on top of this three metre wall and had to get down safely without getting bit by Africa’s most toxic snake or breaking my ankle.
“It was one of the toughest and most exciting calls I’ve been on to date.”
When finding a snake inside your home, West advises to immediately remove pets and children from the area.
“If someone comes across a snake inside their home, close the snake inside the room it is found, if safe to do so, close all windows from the outside so that there is no possible way for a snake to get out of that room and then call a local snake catcher.”
West adds if it was safe to do so to try and take a photo of the snake for identification purposes.
In the case of finding a snake in your backyard, West advises to keep your distance and avoid unwanted interactions.
“If it’s in our yard or you just spotted it in a residential area, lock away all pets and children and keep an eye on the snake from about five metres away to avoid any unwanted interactions.
“Do not try to catch the snake or force an interaction with the snake in any way.
“No repellents work, throwing boiling water on the snake only puts it through intense pain and eventually death, even chopping off the head can still lead to an envenomation as snakes retain their reflexes even after death.
“Forcing an interaction with a snake most of the time is a recipe to get bitten and is not recommended.”
Meanwhile, for those who enjoy long mountain walks, West advises to stay on footpaths and to wear the appropriate hiking shoes.
“The best way to stay safe while hiking is to stay on the foot paths and watch where you’re stepping, wear appropriate hiking shoes and avoid hiking at dusk as this is when most snakes will be active.
“To keep your dog’s safe on walks again stick to clearly marked trails, keep your dog leashed or if you don’t want to do that keep a very close eye on your dog while it’s off leash, avoid overgrown areas and just be alert.”
He added that there isn’t much that can be done to prevent encounters between dogs and snakes.
“The only thing that I could think to do is keep them inside while you are not home and keeping an eye or ear out for them while they are out and about.
“There are usually different tones to a dog’s bark so if you hear an odd bark, I’d go see what is going on.”
