Women snake handlers join the metro’s team
Upon catching the snakes, the women then release them by donating them to The Snake City in Edenvale for conservation and educational purpose.
As the weather heats up, snakes become more active. The City of Ekurhuleni has therefore increased the snake handling staff compliment to enhance community safety and conservation of the hissing creatures.
Mapaseka Maleka and Mbali Masango share a passion for environment conservation including snake handling.
According to Themba Gadebe, metro spokesperson, they have undergone an intense snake-handling course at the African Snakebite Institute.
“They are now well equipped with skills such as snake awareness, first aid for snakebite, and venomous snake handling techniques,” said Gadebe.
Mapaseka said it took guts and bravery for her to develop a passion to handle snakes, given that it is a field perceived to be only for men.
“I used to see my male colleagues responding to calls from members of the community to come assist them with snakes in their houses and I would see how terrified some people get by just looking at a snake in incidents where I went with my colleagues.
“That was when my passion to assist others grew. More importantly, I wanted to assist with first aid to those who got snakebites,” Mapaseka said.
Ekurhuleni is habit to the brown house snake, among others, known to frequent human dwellings where it feeds on rodents or lizards. It is completely harmless and relies on muscle power to constrict its prey. This snake is active at night and is relatively slow moving.
Meanwhile the rinkhals snake resembles a cobra and is very poisonous and deadly. The rinkhals can spit venom with reasonable accuracy up to a distance of about 2m.
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