The African Snake Bite Institute hosted an event for both adults and children which involved Snake Awareness, First Aid for Snake Bites, and Venomous Snake Bite Handling Course at the Cradle Moon Lakeside Game Lodge in Muldersdrift.
Johan Marais who is one of South Africa’s leading herpetologists with over 40 years of experience, was the main host who gave a very brief and insightful presentation on the morning of January 27. He was assisted by highly trained and experienced snake handlers Shawn Hefer, Andy Lawler, and Saker van Wyk who also assisted the individuals who participated in the snake handling course.
The course began with a highly informative theoretical section that covered scorpion and spider awareness as well as first aid, snake awareness, biology behaviour, myths and superstitions, identification, basic first aid for snakebites, as well as the medical treatment for snakebites. This also involved a snake awareness course for little ones who were fascinated by reptiles and those who wanted to overcome their fear of snakes.
“We had children as young as six years old who were so brave. The children were so excited to learn and touch the snakes, and those who had the bravery to overcome their fears were the highlight of my day,” Shawn mentioned. An introduction to snakes and reptiles such as scorpions and snakes also took place and offered participants a chance to see, touch, and learn more about them.
“We had quite a few farmers, teachers, and medical doctors who participated in our course who wanted to know more information, which was great and I’m so happy to have assisted them,” Johan stated. The snake handling began after they wrote a short test to asses their knowledge based on what they had learned during the course presentation followed by a light lunch.
The snakes that were used for the demonstration of the venomous snake handling were puff adders, snouted cobras, and cape cobras, followed by safety measures on how to use the equipment for snake handling, which was demonstrated by Johan before the snake handling took place.
