Every year, as the temperature drops and trees lose their leaves, we see a peak of snake activity. While our snakes do not really hibernate, they become inactive during winter and spend most of their time in underground burrows. But on warm winter days, especially in the Lowveld, snakes often come to the surface to bask.
Some snakes, like southern African pythons and puff adders, mate until the middle of June. The main reason for the increase in activity is that snakes are seeking their last meals before winter, and move around looking for an ideal underground hideout.
It is often said that, should you encounter a snake, it is best to stand perfectly still. I have no desire to stand still next to a hooding cobra or a black mamba with its mouth agape, exposing the black inner lining of the mouth. My advice is to immediately retreat at least five paces, no matter what the situation. Once you are five paces from any snake, indoors or outdoors, you are perfectly safe and cannot be bitten. It is also a safe distance from a Mozambique spitting cobra as they cannot eject their venom more than 3 meters.
Never try to kill a snake as you enter the danger zone, and any snake that is threatened will do whatever it can to defend itself, and in such situations we often see people getting bitten. It is also not advisable to try and capture any snake, no matter how small or harmless it appears. Braai tongs are not designed for the safe capture of a venomous snakes and are far too short for most adult snakes.
In the field you can simply retreat five paces and avoid any snake. There is no need to kill or capture it. In your house or garden, it is another story, and it is best to have the snake removed by a snake remover – someone who has been trained to deal with venomous snakes and has the right equipment to do so. There are more than 700 snake removers on the free African Snakebite Institute App ASI Snakes (see below).
While snakebites are quite rare in the Lowveld, there are several highly venomous snakes, and it is vitally important that the correct procedures are followed in the event of a bite.
Firstly, get the patient to the nearest hospital, no matter how far away the hospital is. Always choose a hospital with a trauma unit as they are geared to deal with emergencies. The most dangerous snakebite in the Lowveld is one from a black mamba – their venom is potently neurotoxic and fast-acting, and rapidly affects breathing. Bites on children are particularly life-threatening and in severe cases victims may experience difficulty with breathing within less than half an hour.
Bites from the puff adder, snouted cobra and Mozambique spitting cobra are usually painful and may result in progressive swelling. The sooner the patient reaches a hospital and receives the correct treatment, the better. In cases of severe envenomation, such a patient will require antivenom and, if necessary, the sooner it is administered the less the subsequent tissue damage. Boomslang venom is haemotoxic and slow-acting, taking several hours before the first symptoms are noticeable – usually some blood oozing from the fang punctures followed by a nosebleed. Bites from boomslang are extremely rare.
While antivenom is the correct treatment for serious snakebites, less than 10% of all snakebite victims are treated with antivenom. Identifying the snake responsible for a bite may be beneficial (a clear photograph) but is not essential, as doctors will draw blood for analyses and will then carefully monitor symptoms to establish how severe a bite is, and what treatment is required.
For a full list of what to do in the event of a snakebite (and what not to do) go to the first aid section of the ASI App ASI Snakes or obtain a book that covers first aid in snakebites.
Johan Marais is one of Africa’s leading herpetologists and is CEO of the African Snakebite Institute. He is a best-selling author, a compulsive photographer, and a travel addict. Check out the website on www.africansnakebiteinstitute.com – get your free App on the link http://bit.ly/snakebiteapp
