Snake experts give presentation at IEC
The wide-eyed youngsters looked on in fright when presented with a plus-minus 3.5-metre-long Red Tail Boa
The ‘Ladysmith Snake Removal’ team took a break from hunting down reptiles to give a talk about snakes (reptiles) at the Islamic Educational Centre (IEC) on Friday.
Fanie Cilliers and his wife, Melissa, gave a presentation to 86 pupils from Grade 4 to 7, all of them eager to learn about these misunderstood reptiles. Fanie spoke to the pupils about snake awareness, the importance of snakes, what to do if you encounter a snake, and also what you must do if you get bitten.
The wide-eyed youngsters looked on in fright when presented with a plus-minus 3.5-metre-long Red Tail Boa and were told they had the chance to touch it and feel what a snake feels like in their hands.
Fanie brought 10 snakes along with him for the presentation, and allowed the pupils to get up-close-and-personal with all of them after explaining the characteristics of each species. All this took place under Fanie’s close supervision, of course.
The learners loved the opportunity to interact with the snakes, having their Tablets and SmartPhones out to take photos and record the gift of nature before their very eyes.
Fanie told the children numerous times that snakes don’t bite people unless they are provoked. Only in this instance are they likely to strike.
The talk was about 45 minutes long, and then it was time to handle the snakes. The initial fear soon gave way to wonder as they felt the creatures slithering over their hands and arms.
Fanie showed the children how to properly handle a snake and how to protect them when you catch them.
All in all, the experience opened a whole new world for the students and resulted in a new respect for these slippery customers.
The school was very impressed with the presentation, and told Fanie they would like him to return and give the talk to the pupils who didn’t get the chance to attend. Fanie is willing to go to other schools in town to give the learners his highly educational talk. If other schools are interested in having their student body exposed to scary snakes, they can contact Fanie on 079-838-8567.
