HIKING SAFETY
Snaking about Sizzling hot summers brings us all out to play, including some slithering creatures. Mike Perry of African Reptiles and Venom gives hikers some safety tips on what to look out for to prevent being bitten.
As it heats up and rains begin to fall, snakes are emerging from their hiding places to hunt and mate. Although Southern Africa has approximately 175 species of snakes, only a small percentage of them are venomous enough to cause harm. These are the black and green mamba, cobras and large adders like gaboon and puff adders.
Kings of camouflage
Hikers on a trail will be more likely encounter snakes that use camouflage as their first defense. While difficult to spot, a puff adder might lie on the trail, or a berg adder might bask in the sun on a rock where you want to place your hands to pull yourself up. Eighty five percent (85%) of snakebites occur below the knee, with about 12% of bites on the hands. Green mambas are not likely to be encountered on a hiking trail, but hikers might cross paths with black mambas and different types of cobras. Cape cobras, puff and berg adders are most likely to be encountered in the Western Cape, whereas you are more likely to cross paths with a black mamba, snouted cobra or Mozambique spitting cobra in the Magaliesberg, Waterberg and Mpumalanga regions. A black mamba will quickly move off unless you are directly in its path on the way to its hole in the ground or other safety. This is easy to rectify as the snake will slide pass you if you move a few steps distance to the left or right side.
66 | December 2021
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