Sunday walk takes the sting out of scorpions
JOBURG - Jonathan Leeming led a morning walk, attended by Fourways and Sandton residents from all walks of life, around the Crocodile River Reserve close to The Sheds on Gemstone Road, in search of scorpions, snakes and other creepy crawlies on 19 April.
“I have been working with arachnids for 20 years now,” Leeming said.
“And I started a company two years ago called VenomWorks, which works with all kinds of venomous animals.”
He explained that the company performs risk assessment and management, specifically for larger corporates, regarding spider, snake and bee or wasp infestations. They also offer services for the removal and relocation of venomous animals from business premises, and first aid courses which cover venomous bites and stings.
“We do these walks to promote environmental awareness, seeing as many people still have the wrong idea of venomous animals,” Leeming continued.
“It’s essential to educate these people, especially the younger generation. We allow them to see these animals up close and ask questions about them in a safe environment so that they can learn what to do if they come across these animals in the wild.”
The walks are done all over southern Africa throughout the year and Leeming and his team can be contacted for all kinds of corporate events and training.
The next event to be held at The Sheds is one of great importance. Named the ‘Snare Hunt’, it will be hosted from 8am on 27 April, where a search party will be combing through the veld for hidden wires and traps. The Crocodile Rive Reserve is home to a myriad of free-roaming animals like kudu, eland, brown hyena, leopard, genet, honey badger and steenbok.
Some of these are often trapped in vicious snares and left to suffer and die. These snare hunts are regularly conducted to rid the reserve of traps set up for unsuspecting animals.
Details: Jenny Cornish jcornish@mweb.co.za
Did you attend the walk? Share your experiences in the comments below.
