EDITOR – Refrain from killing snakes, as there are enough snake catchers in Toti.
You do not realise that you put yourself in harm’s way by doing so.
The only snake that can harm you is one you cannot see. If you can see a snake, you are not in danger. You can move away or call someone to remove it.
In the future I will report all such incidents. Snakes are animals just like cats, dogs and monkeys often cited on social media for abuse. Killing or harming any wild animal is a criminal offence. You will be charged with a fine of R250,000 and two years’ imprisonment. Many snakes are on the endangered list. As with the monkeys and so forth, you took up their space and habitat. They have nowhere to go. You can co-exist peacefully with them.
I have been bitten by my own pet snakes four times and felt the most incredible pain, and ended up in ICU. I am still alive. You need not die from a snake bite due to modern medicine and treatments. I am in no way undermining the severity of snake bites and the seriousness thereof to a small child. A dog or a monkey will do far worse physical damage to you than a snake. I work very closely in the reptile field and have been involved in snake parks and the filming of many documentaries. Try me, kill another snake and boast about it, or out of pure ignorance and I will report these incidents from this day on.
Most of the snakes encountered by the public in and around our areas are harmless such as the brown house snake, herald snake, spotted bush snake, green water snake and Natal green snake.
SHAUN WHITE
