FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
19 November 2020
MEC for Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Land Reform, Rural Development, Ms. Mase Manopole, has warned that since the weather has improved and temperatures increase from winter to spring and summer, an increase in snake activity in our Province should be observed.
With the recent good rains which have been received in some parts of the Province, MEC Manopole indicated that, this will lead to an upsurge in prey abundance and availability, and some snakes also get flooded from their shelters.
The increase in frogs, lizards and newborn birds after rains will result in more snake encounters since snakes in our Province are mostly inactive during winter and therefore need to obtain food as it becomes warmer.
Spring time is also the mating season for many snake species and this is the most common time of the year when they may be found in pairs. Snake encounters in town areas, either in gardens or sometimes even in houses itself, are common in some areas, especially where houses are close to open veld, a common occurrence in the Kimberley area.
If you have rubble or rubbish laying around your house it may also attract snakes, since it provides shelter for these animals and also attract mice and rats, a food source for many snake species.
Pets such as cats often bring small snakes which they caught indoors while they are still alive while dogs usually try to attack snakes once they see them and they often get bitten through this action.
Encountering a snake, what should you do?
If you encounter a snake in your home or garden the best thing to do is to retreat at least five paces, at this distance you cannot get bitten by a snake, and observe the snake from a safe distance while calling a snake handler.
MEC Manopole calls on the public, to never attempt to catch a snake in their house or garden unless they have been trained in the safe removal of venomous snakes and are permitted to do so.
Several persons in the Northern Cape Province has qualified training to assist in this regard. It must however be noted that even if a person obtained the necessary training to be able to handle snakes, in the Northern Cape Province, they are also required to have a valid permit from our Department, to be able to remove snake species from areas and to translocate them to a safe place.
It is illegal to kill a snake.
MEC Manopole has cautioned that it is illegal to kill snakes in our Province without having the necessary permits to do so. Snakes play an important role in our ecosystems since they control animal species, such as mice and rats, which can spread diseases to humans.
Also do not attempt to catch or kill snakes in the wild since it is totally unnecessary and dangerous.
In southern Africa a total of 175 snake species occur (two new species of Brown House Snake were discovered recently) and of these a total of 55 different snake species are found in the Northern Cape Province.
In the Northern Cape, we have 55 different snake species, however, of these species only five are considered to be potentially dangerous. These species are the Puff Adder (Bitis arietans), the Cape Cobra (Naja nivea), the Cape Coral Snake (Aspidelaps lubricus lubricus), the Black Spitting Cobra (Naja nigricollis woodi) and the Boomslang (Dispholidus typus typus).
In the Northern Cape, it is estimated that at least five people die every year, due to snake bites and scorpion stings.
The conflict between humans and snakes are an ever-increasing problem due to the massive increase of the human population and the shrinking of natural habitat for the animals to survive in.
MEC Manopole said it was necessary for the communities, to familiarize themselves with the snake species which can occur in their area and to know what to do when they encounter a snake. Educational resources are freely available from the Department offices.
Issued by the Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Land Reform and Rural Development
Media Enquiries: Zandisile Luphahla (Media Liaison Officer) 083 391 5388