STAFF from the South African Association for Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR) were on a mission this past weekend to drive snake awareness and educate the public about the roles of reptiles in the hopes to foster deeper appreciation and understanding.

The snake awareness mini-exhibition was held outside Dangerous Creatures at the uShaka Sea World and was free to the public.

The exhibition featured indigenous snake species and there were snakes skins, and snake eggs which the public could interact with.

Herpetologist Lesley Labuschagne said the exhibition was also a way of highlighting the important role snakes play in our lives.

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“The event focused on indigenous snakes encountered throughout South Africa and is held annually. We started the exhibition six years ago in a bid to get awareness going on snakes. They are often vilified and for so many there are no good snake. Our goal is to help educate visitors and locals and the response we’ve had has been phenomenal.

“It is also a great way for us to interact with everyone. My favourite part of the interactions is seeing children overcome their fears and accept snakes. Some also got a chance to hold a snake and interact with some of the items in our display. I think children enjoy telling their parents not to be scared once they’ve held a snake. We also handed out a snake poster with the common snakes of Durban,” she said.

Labuschagne added the snakes which were part of the display will be re-released.

“We only had them for a few days and they were captured by several Durban snake rescuers. They will be released where they were found in their natural habitat,” she said.

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