SNAKES – A word that is guaranteed to bring out a multitude of reactions. A person might say:” I am so scared of those slithering animals; they must stay far away!” To this, someone might reply:” Yes, but do you know how important these organisms are to our ecosystems.” A third person might add: “I once saw a movie of a plane filled with snakes! It was so scary!”
Regardless of your opinions and feelings towards these fascinating creatures, the reality is we share a planet with them. Since there will always be snakes surrounding us, it is imperative that we learn to live with them!
In the southern hemisphere, we are entering one of my favourite times of the year – the onset of spring. With the changing of the seasons, many wonderful natural phenomena happen. A sudden surge of blossoms appear, ominous rain clouds start to form and bare tree branches begin putting on their new green growth.
This changing of the seasons however also signals the beginning of snake season – a period of heightened snake movement and activity. To better understand snake season, I recently had a fascinating talk with Mr. Hencke Marais, a well-known herpetologist and conservationist. To say that this was eye opening does not even begin to explain it. Let’s slither deeper into this fascinating discussion.
Getting to know Mr. Hencke Marais
My first mission during our discussion was to get to know the man behind the snakes. When I asked Hencke how he got interested in the world of snakes, he joked and said that the snakes chose him! He explained that his interest was piqued in primary school, during a snake presentation. Upon seeing how excited he was about the snakes, the presenter gifted him with a rubber snake, which he still uses for presentations to this day.
In grade 8 Hencke did his first snake presentation with a corn snake named Oliver, and has to date done more than 5000 presentations, interviews, television appearances and talks. Beyond this, he also does snake handling courses and snake catching. It is clear that he lives and breathes snakes and environmental education.
The yearly snake season
We then got into the main discussion and explored the concept of snake season. Mr. Hencke explained that we must first understand that snakes are ectothermic, or as we better know it – cold blooded. Subsequently, they are influenced by external temperatures with activity decreasing during colder months.
Higher temperature thus allows more movement, and as we know this coincides with spring and summer. Snake season usually runs from the first rain around September to the first cold front during the following autumn.
The increase in movement is further driven by two main factors, namely food and mating. Along with the newfound energy from external heat, the snakes actively search for food to recover after their period of inactivity, and to prepare for the next winter season. It is also during this season that many Southern African snakes mate and bring forth their new young.
A misguided belief
A common misconception that people often have is that snakes pose a major threat to them in their daily lives. Almost as if the snakes are ‘out to get them.’ I wanted to examine this further, and the first thing that Mr. Hencke commented on was that he experienced this a lot during his career and can conclude that it mostly comes from a lack of knowledge.
He explained that snakes do not actively look for people and that the opposite is actually true. A snake would rather flee than seek confrontation. Interactions are usually by accident and are as a result of less natural space for snakes and their movement in search of food and shelter. This often brings them closer to human settlements. Further, their ecological goal is to control prey species which is why they often visit houses and yards.
Practical prevention methods
In recent years, there has been a drastic increase in so-called ‘snake repellents.’ Often sold at hardware stores or even on social media, it has been proven repeatedly that these do not work. This also came up in our discussion and Hencke agrees that these are ineffective. He further explained that the best and most effective method to keep snakes away is to keep your house and yard clean and neat.
If we think about this logically, it makes sense that we want to make our areas as ‘unfavorable’ as possible for snakes to live in. This means removing possible shelters such as garden waste, old building rubble etc. He explained further that keeping things clean and neat will attract less rodents which is a big source of food for snakes. Less shelter and less food thus equal less snakes.
In Mr. Hencke’s words: “Snakes might still move through a property but will likely not settle there or live there permanently.” Interestingly enough, he explained that most properties where he is called out to catch and remove snakes are in a dire state, being very dirty and not neat. A perfect illustration of this point.
The Do’s and Don’ts of snake encounters
To emphasize, prevention is key! However, snake encounters are still a reality and might happen. In these situations, let logic and knowledge guide you. This includes giving the snakes space and never blocking its path. Keep an eye on it from a safe distance and if needed contact a local snake catcher.
Do not strike the snake or throw it with objects and do not try to pick it up! Respect is the name of the game. Mr. Marais said it best: “Snakes are worth much more to us alive, than they are dead.” There are professional people who can help in a situation, so why not make use of them?
The same goes in the unfortunate situation where a bite does occur. Seek professional medical help. Do not cut a bite or try to suck venom out. Get to a medical facility so that treatment can start promptly. Although not all snakes are venomous, bites still need to be cleaned and disinfected so medical help is always smart.
A message to the public
I was curious whether Mr. Hencke saw a shift in public opinion towards snakes over his career. He explained that he clearly experienced a positive shift, with knowledge increasing and fear decreasing.
He ended our discussion with the two questions which he always asks people. After looking at different venomous and non-venomous snakes throughout his career, he concluded that snakes are not inherently bad creatures. So, bearing this in mind he then asks two questions:
- Does the snake have a purpose? Ecologically yes.
- If the snake then does not want to hurt me on purpose, why would I want to hurt the snake?
May we all learn to face our perceptions and fears and change them through proper education. Fear can develop easily, but it can just as easily be replaced with knowledge and truth.
After all, we do not have to love something to respect it!
Be filled with nature
Willem🐍
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