When people think of snakes, they think of deadly reptiles that can kill in an instant.
However, although some snakes are venomous, many will not harm you if you just leave them alone.
Clive Reid, the founder of Snakecity (Hunyani Reptiles), started the centre in 2002.
Snakecity, which is located along Voortrekker Road, aims to promote the preservation of snakes and the education of the community about reptiles.
They perform shows for the public and are often called to remove snakes, however if the snake is harmless and does not pose a threat to the public, the snakes are often left alone.
If the snake is venomous or an exotic species, like a rattlesnake, Clive will remove the snake and take it back to the centre.
Clive found his preservation passion while growing up in Zimbabwe. While growing up he came across a snake that had been killed. He took the dead snake to a local museum, where he was told it was a harmless brown house snake. Following this incident, he found the drive to protect snakes.
Clive began his career at the Durban Snake Park in KwaZulu-Natal, a province which has a high snake population.
Clive said he improved his passion alongside Tony Phelps, a well-known zoologist at the snake park.
A good example of the work Clive does would be the recent removal of a black mamba, one of South Africa’s deadliest snakes.
The snake was removed from a property in Sandringham.
According to Clive, one of the most common snakes found in the greater Johannesburg area is the rinkhals, or ring-necked spitting cobra.
The area has a large number of open veld areas, which the snake prefers.
The venomous rinkhals, although not a true cobra, still falls in the cobra family.
The snake is able to spit venom up to two to three metres. Community members should be careful when dealing with a rinkhals as the snake fakes death when threatened.
Clive said if community members do find a snake on their property, they should stay calm and keep a safe distance from the snake. Residents should proceed to positively identify the snake, but until they do, they should treat the snake as if it is venomous.
The individual should then proceed to call an individual or company that is trained to remove snakes safely. Residents should also be educated about the snakes in their area and how to properly handle them.
Often harmless, non-venomous snakes benefit property owners by catching rodent pests,
“Harmless snakes are like wild birds, if you grab it you will be bitten, like a bird will peck at you. But if you just leave them they will move away,” said Clive.
