With the summer in full swing, snakes are a lot more active. Walking around in the bush during a stay in the Kruger, its surrounding areas can lead to a frightful encounter with a slithering citizen, but your reaction will probably be a lot more relaxed if you know tell if a snake is dangerous.
For the most part, snakes are often more fearful of you than you are of them. They see you as the big bad threat and as such, their rushed movement is more to get away from you than to hunt you down and do you harm, despite what the movies would have you believe.
Generally, when you encounter a snake it is going to do everything in its power in order to get out of your way. That said, not all snakes are going to be easily spotted, and there might just come a time when you accidentally step on one, and when that is the case, the chances of being bit increase, as do your chances of being hurt.
It is important to know the difference between a common, harmless snake and something a lot more worrying because firstly it will help you get out of its way and secondly, it will help you to know when to look for help.
The number of poisonous snakes that can actually do you quite a lot of harm is minimal, but even if they are not poisonous, any snake capable of biting could give you quite the painful nip which in turn might require some assistance.
How NOT to Identify a Poisonous Snake
South Africa is home to 170 species of snakes and of those only 20 are deadly. Usually, South Africa sees only 10-12 deaths from snake bites each year and generally these are in very poor and rural areas, where getting emergency treatment just takes too long. To be bitten by a snake, you will need to be quite close to it, at least 3 meters. This is why most deadly bites are the result of stepping on the snake or lifting something only to disrupt the snake beneath.
A lot of advice you find online says that round pupils signify a harmless snake while elliptical cat eyes are a sign of danger. This is not true to our snakes. The snake’s eyes can change depending on the time of day, and besides, you’d have to get up really close to the snake to look at its eyes, in which case you’d probably get bitten.
The head shape might also be an indication of how deadly it is, but this is not reliable either, and neither is relying on the snakes colour. Some of the most deadly snakes in Southern Africa have muted colours of browns and greys which helps them stay undetected, but doesn’t help you as you probably won’t see it.
The best thing that anyone can do when encountering a snake of any kind is to remain calm and to move away from the creature slowly, allowing it to go on its way. You should also do the obvious things, like don’t try to pick it up or harm it.
Part of the fun about going on a Kruger Park safari is that you are going to come across all sorts of amazing creatures along the way, including snakes. See this as an opportunity to learn rather than something to be fearful of.
