Capturing creepy crawlies one snap at a time
Born and bred on the Bluff, Warren is a photographer by profession with a passion to photograph small wildlife.
THE Bluff’s very own bug enthusiast and snake catcher Warren Dick, is always up for a walk in the wild to capture the little gems of mother nature on his Nikon Z6 mirrorless camera.
Born and bred on the Bluff, Warren is a photographer by profession with a passion to photograph small wildlife. He does, however, also do family photo shoots and other special occasions. “I also help people with the removal of unwanted snakes and other creepy crawlies. I am also an ordained Pastor, a strange combination. I am the only snake loving pastor that I know.
“Ever since I can remember I have loved nature and wanted to learn the truth about those creepy crawlies that strike fear into mankind. Before I even started school I would collect caterpillars out of the garden to raise them and see what they became. My love for nature was always encouraged by my parents, as a child we would spend most of our weekends having picnics out in the bush,” he said.
His first pets as a child were a ridgeback dog, a Siamese cat and a hamster. He got his first pet snake when he was in his early teens. “It took quite a lot to convince my parents to let me keep the Brown House snake that I found in our back yard. But as I learned about snakes, so did they.”
He holds a bachelor’s degree in ministry from Team Impact Bible College and has also completed a snake handling course with Johan Marais. Warren is part of a network of snake catchers in Durban and insists that he only works with likeminded individuals who are into conservation and not poaching.
Asked what his favourite animal is Warren said: “That is a very hard one to answer, as a pets I have dearly loved cats, dogs and rats. Yes rats, to me they are by far the best pet rodent to keep they are just so intelligent. But my favourite animal would have to be the snake. Snakes are such misunderstood creatures and feared mostly because of what people think they know about them.
His most memorable encounter with a snake was when he was called to catch a restless Black Mamba in Umbilo, using a short piece of toilet outlet pipe to successfully lure and catch it. He has also become confident in his ability to neck venomous snakes, as seen on TV, although he prefers to use the tube method if the circumstances allow him to.
“The Black Mamba is probably the most feared snake in Africa, yet most of that fear is completely unfounded. Yes, the tiniest drop of their venom can kill you, however the last thing that they want to do is bite you. They have been made out to be veracious man hunting and killing creatures, yet everything that I have learned points in the totally opposite direction. Every snake that I have ever encountered just wants to escape the big scary human, the last thing they want to do is bite you. A snake’s venom is meant to kill its prey, it is not meant for self-defence.”
The self-confessed snake lover also writes the Nature’s Calling column for the SUN, where he shares interesting facts and photos about different types of insects and animals every week. “We have all the information we need in the form of the internet yet people seem more afraid and uncertain about the natural world than ever before. I strive to get everyone to learn about nature and the animals in it, starting in their own back garden.”
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