FANIE FOUCHE
“WE HAVE A SNAKE… DO YOU REMOVE SNAKES?” that is what I am asked or messaged when someone gets hold of me. Indeed, I remove snakes and have done so for the past 27 years. I am qualified through the African Snakebite Institute (ASI). Also, as required in terms of the National Environment Management: Biodiversity Act, I am legally allowed to catch, remove and relocate animals including snakes. Download the ASI App on Playstore for free and get all info on snakes, nearest snake removers etc on your smart phone.
Each snake has its own unique build, behaviour and habitat and only through experience can snakes be safely removed and relocated. DO NOT attempt to touch, handle, remove or relocate any snake unless qualified and permitted to do so.
There is a misperception that snakes go into hibernation and are therefore not active in the winter months. That is not true. In our area of Ndlambe and most of South Africa, snakes are active throughout the year. Over the past 27 years I have caught a variety of snake species in our area between Alexandria and Fish River, including in and around Bathurst.
The Ndlambe 5
I am already standing on 71 snakes (and counting) caught this year alone. Not all snakes are venomous and dangerous to humans. There are five snakes in our area that are venomous – I call them the Ndlambe 5 – that people should be aware of, namely rhombic night adder, rinkhals, puff adder, Cape cobra and the boomslang. Never ever pick up a snake, dead or alive!
Rhombic night adder
The rhombic night adder has a cytotoxic venom causing localised tissue damage, swelling accompanied by headaches (not as severe as that of puff adder). This night adder species often gets confused with a small puff adder but there are clear differences.
A characteristic of a night adder is that the V-pattern on its head and the head-and-body neck area is the same size. Night adders frequent leaking water tanks, taps and other damp areas, where they feed on toads. Contrary to what their name suggests, they are active throughout the day. Most night adder bites occur on the leg or ankle while a person is watering their garden. It is very aggressive and strikes as a defence mechanism.
The harmless rhombic egg eater has patterns that look similar to those of a night adder: the difference there is that the V pattern is broken and concentrated on the neck area.
Rinkhals
The rinkhals is not a true cobra even though it also raises its hood in defence. In our area they have a striped ring pattern on the body as well as being black in colour and when their hood is raised it has white bands on the hood.
The rinkhals has a mixture of cytotoxic and neurotoxic venom. When threatened it will spray venom at the enemy. If you get rinkhals venom sprayed in you eyes, never rub your eyes: immediately rinse your eyes out with water or milk, cover them and get someone to take you to the nearest hospital. The rinkhals has a defensive and ambush behaviour known as thanatosis where it will fake death (lie with mouth open, tongue out, eyes hazy, part of belly exposed). If an animal or person approaches it or touches it, it will miraculously come alive and strike.
Puff adder
Puff adders are the most common snake I catch in our area and the most snake bite cases I get called out for by the hospital. The cytotoxic venom causes severe tissue damage, immediate swelling and if not treated can lead to loss of the limb. This fat, heavy and lazy looking snake is an ambush snake. Its chevron pattern, coffin shape head, thin neck and tail makes it unique, but it is very well camouflaged.
Note: it is one of the fastest strikers of any snake. Normally you will hear the snake before you see it. The hissing-blowing sound as you approach too close is why in Xhosa it is called “Ihramba”. They are active day and night and move into houses when the temperature drops at night after a hot day. Over the years I have caught puff adders in a wide variety of places, from under a bed, behind a fridge, under a sofa, in a toilet bowl, in a fire place, under dog kennels, in a coffee percolator, inside cars and even three metres up in a tree.
Cape cobra
Cape cobras have neurotoxic venom and a bite requires immediate medical treatment. The symptoms are life-threatening and range from drowsiness, vomiting, increased sweating, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, difficulty in breathing and speaking, weakening of muscles to paralysis, coma and in severe cases death. The Cape cobra is known for raising its hood in defence.
The colour in our area varies from golden yellow, brown to black and most common is the golden yellow/ brown with speckles (speckled phase). They enter houses, climb trees and I have caught them under furniture, in dry-walls, in stoves, cars and even on a beam at a height of 6m in a local business. In April this year I caught my longest Cape Cobra of 2,02m in a crack in a dry-wall at a house in Kleinemonde.
Boomslang
A Boomslang is a very shy snake and out of the Ndlambe 5 venomous snakes, drop for drop venom wise the most concerning. Boomslang are back-fanged but can open its mouth 180 degrees and needs to chew the venom. They are arboreal snakes (active in trees) but I have caught them not only in trees but in a church play area, in car engines, roofs and ceilings and even in a bath, workshops, aviaries etc. They feed on prey like birds and chameleons that they swallow head first while hanging upside down in a tree, holding on with their tail. Their venom is haemotoxic and symptoms appear a few hours later resulting in internal bleeding and bleeding through body openings, as the venom prevents a person’s blood from clotting. Males in our area are green with black lining of scales; females range from light brown, to brown, brick red to even black in colour.
The boomslang’s unique feature is the big human-like eye.
Most calls I receive say, “We have a baby boomslang” or “We have a green mamba” (note: that does not occur in our area at all). When asked to describe the snake, they say it is thin, under a metre in length, bright green, fast and has small black eyes. That description is of a Natal green snake that is harmless. A juvenile boomslang under 1 metre in length has a yellow throat, big green human-like eyes and is grey-blue on top with white belly.
What to do if you encounter a snake
If you come across a snake on your property, most importantly: slowly move away from the snake. Then:
- Keep pets like dogs and cats away.
- Phone me and if you can’t get hold of me please immediately drop a WhatsApp voicenote or text message: state your address or do a pin drop; indicate if the snake is still visible and provide any other information that you can – If I can’t respond I will ask one of my Ndlambe officials to respond.
- Keep an eye on the snake from a safe distance and if possible take a photo and send it to me so we know what to expect.
- You can also make use of the ASI app that will indicate the nearest snake remover to you.
If someone is bitten by a snake:
- Make sure the person is taken to the nearest hospital;
- Always keep the person calm and monitor their vital signs;
- Never use a tourniquet bandage or cut and suck out the venom from the bite site;
- If possible, take a photo of the snake to help with identification so that the doctors can treat the person with the right protocols and procedures.
You are welcome to WhatsApp me on 0827531716 if you find a snake on your property for removal or if you need a snake identified and if you would like a free pdf photo booklet I have created of all the snakes I have caught in the Ndlambe and surrounding areas.
- Fanie Fouche is Ndlambe Municipality’s Deputy-Director: Community Protection Services. He has had 27 years of direct experience in managing interactions between snakes and communities, including catching and releasing them.
- This article was first published in Talk of the Town, September 12, 2024. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays.
