Make room for our slithering neighbours
ALBERTS FARM – No venomous snakes will ever be rereleased near a human population.
Snake handlers share details into why and which snakes are being released around residential areas.
Many residents are aware of the snake population living around Northcliff Eco Ridge and Alberts Farm but have been wondering if it is safe and wise to release snakes found in the area here. According to local snake handlers Carla Goede and Ruan Bosch, who remove and relocate snakes found in the region, such spaces are perfect for non-venomous snakes such as the brown house snake.
On 9 February the snake handlers released another brown house snake into the belly of Alberts Farm after safely rescuing it in Randpark Ridge. According to Goede, the Alberts Farm is among the most suitable spaces in the region.
She explained, “It should stay over in Alberts Farm as it will have access to an abundance of food and water and will be able to stay safe. We do have a healthy population of brown house snakes on Alberts Farm so it will also be able to breed and keep the population alive.”
Goede stated that the snakes have to be released between 2 and 5km of where they were found. She explained, “If you release them less than 2kms away there is a chance that they could return to the place they were just found. If it’s released further than 5kms away you’ve got the risk of introducing infections to a population of snakes that aren’t resistant to that infection. Additionally, you don’t want to disturb the genetic pool too much and you could be introducing the snake to completely different climatic conditions.” Therefore it is advisable to keep the snake as close to its original environment as possible.”
Goede reiterated that only harmless snakes will be re-released to places such as Northcliff Eco Ridge and Alberts Farm. “No snake relocator will ever release or relocate a venomous snake close to residents. The brown house snakes won’t be a threat to a family or a pet but snakes such as the rinkhals, because they are venomous, will be released outside of Johannesburg.” These venomous snakes are known to exist in the area such as the rinkhals and night adders but rarely involved in any fatal incidents. The most recent occurrence was in December 2020 when a pit bull killed a rinkhals snake.
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