Snakes, tattoos and Harry Potter

When you first see the heavily tattooed Simon Keys and Siouxsie Gillett cruising in their equally tattooed Fortuner, it is clear that this couple is not your average Mr and Mrs Smith.

The two serpentine adventurers live between the UK and Umdloti and are known for their National Geographic television show Snake City shot mostly in KZN.

They are currently here for a month, as season four of their show just aired and they are eagerly waiting to hear if season five is going to be confirmed.

While Keys had been out finding critters and trying to catch snakes since age eight, Gillett was so in love with animals that she decided to become a vegetarian at age seven.

“My dad was a butcher, so he was horrified. I brought shame on the family. They thought it was just a phase,” said Gillett, who is a qualified herpetologist and a gentle soul with a genuine sympathy for the underdogs.

“I veered into animals that people feared, because I felt real compassion for them as they have been given such a negative image.”

Besides having a menagerie of exotic rescue animals from arachnids, crocodiles and meerkats in her home, she has also worked with animals on movie sets overseas.

“I love working on set with animals, because the animal rights are so strict and well controlled. You can stop a million pound production because your animal needs a nap!

“I did all the creepy crawlies in Harry Potter – one particular scene with 80 cockroaches was a challenge, as you have to count them in and out after each scene. I also worked on Ridley Scott’s Exodus where we handled 400 frogs. The 80 tortoises on Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot was one of the easier tasks, as they are at least slow.”

Keys on the other hand had been breeding and importing snakes into the United Kingdom for 13 years but it was when a friend decided he didn’t want his corn snake – which Simon happily homed – that his real passion for the animals grew.

“It started with just the one snake, and then I had a boa, some pythons, king cobras, spitting cobras, taipans…at one stage I had 88 venomous snakes, in my bedroom!”

In 2005, he relocated to South Africa as his wife at the time, Nadine, was originally South African. He started a snake removal service, averaging about 90 call-outs a month. Winter months however were much quieter, which prompted Simon to look for alternative sources of income and he made contact with the wildlife television production company, Earth Touch.

“They shot a promo of me going to a spitting cobra call-out and the director felt that there was really something great that could come from these rescues,” said Keys.

After the first season, Simon and Nadine, who featured in the series initially, parted ways and Simon returned to the United Kingdom. He applied for a position at a reptile shop owned by Gillett, someone he’d known in the snake industry for 14 years. When Simon got the green light for season 2 of Snake City, Gillett starred alongside him as little more than a friend.

“All the captures you see on Snake City are 100% authentic. The goal of the show is to educate the viewers about the different types of snakes, what to do when you find one and their important role in the environment,” said Keys, who gently talks to the snakes when he catches them, apologizing for the ordeal they have been through. Once caught, the snakes are then released back into their natural environment.

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