Lowveld’s extreme heat the cause of snakes being driven out into the open
The snakes move to the residential areas to seek shelter and food, especially in these high temperatures. An expert urges locals to realise that this does not necessarily mean there are suddenly more snakes, just that they are more easily spotted.
Snake catcher Chris Hobkirk said the high temperatures in the Lowveld is why these reptiles come out; nothing new in the area, just a repetition of previous occurrences, and this does not mean there are now more snakes around.
“There is no difference between this and others seasons over the years, despite people assuming we have a lot more snakes now. The reason they think this is because nowadays people have phones and social media, and they will take pictures and share them among groups, and then they conclude that we have more snakes,” he said.
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Hobkirk reiterated that the number of snakes being caught is the same as what they had been catching before, but with technology, more people are now more aware of it. “The assumption is that there are more snakes, but this is not the situation. We know we are going to receive at least 10 calls of sightings per day, but we have volunteers, trained snake catchers in our area, who are willing to assist where they can.”
He said they noticed a high number of vermin and loads of rubbish in the areas where snakes were caught. He urged people not to try to catch or kill the snakes. “They must call an expert and leave it alone. People should understand that this is the snake season and should be vigilant. Make sure you close your doors and windows. Do not have a lot of brambles around the house to avoid snakes hiding in there.”
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Common snakes caught in the area are the Mozambican spitting cobra, snouted cobra, black mamba, puff adder, bush snake, brown house snake and boomslang. He also said the reason these snakes venture into residential areas is mainly for food, like rats and frogs. “We have noticed quite a rise in snakes seen as well as snakebites. It started last October and will go on until the winter season. This is the peak season, and it’s because of the high temperatures, which is excellent for reptiles. They are ectothermic [cold-blooded] and rely on high temperatures to function,” he explained.
