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Snakes in and around the farmhouse
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IT IS THAT TIME OF YEAR WHEN INCIDENTS WITH SNAKES OCCUR QUITE FREQUENTLY AND SOME OF THESE INCIDENTS EVEN ENJOY MEDIA COVERAGE . SENWES SCENARIO VISITED THE PERMIT OFFICIAL OF THE HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY IN KLERKSDORP FOR ADVICE ON SNAKES .
AUBREY KRUGER
CHANGE YOUR VIEW ON SNAKES Ashley Dodkins would like to change people ’ s views on snakes . He says that most producers “ do not like snakes very much . Their grandfathers said that a good snake is a dead snake and this view is carried from generation to generation ”. According to him snakes are totally misunderstood , due to our own fears . “ When people say that a snake should die , I would like to know why they feel this way .” People often contact him about snakes in their yards or houses , just to phone five minutes later to say that they killed it . Although fear of snakes is quite normal , one should
Cape Cobra
look at the environment as well and one should remember that the snake fears you more than what you fear it .
PRODUCERS AND SNAKES Farmers in the Free State have a lot of mole snakes . Mole snakes eat gerbilles , rats and moles - which in turn eat the wheat of producers . They are not poisonous or dangerous . On the other hand puffadders and Cape cobras are abundant and they are poisonous . “ A farmer and a snake can actually cohabit quite successfully .” Ashley points out that should there be 100 snakes only in a small area on your farm and each one eats one mouse every five days - well , you can do the calculation . It actually benefits a producer to have snakes on his farm . Should every snake eat 6 mice / rats per month , it adds up to 72 per year . 100 snakes will therefore eat 7 200 mice and rats per year .
SNAKES IN OUR AREA Ashley says that the Cape cobra is abundant in the Northwest and Free State and it is also very poisonous . Puffadders and ring-
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Young puffadder
A fully grown puffadder
Egg-eater
Brown house snake
Ashley Dodkins , permit official of the Herpetological Society in Klerksdorp .
Mole snake
SENWES Scenario • OCT / NOV 2016 33