SANParks.org Forums

Everyone has a story to share about snakes. Scary encounters, funny ones etc etc. I will be honest, I have a huge respect for snakes and I prefer to see them from a safe distance, but sometimes, one gets too close for comfort

Here are one or two of my experiences, please share yours.
(I wonder if snakes could talk what they would have to say... )

Some years ago we were on an army patrol in the Phalaborwa area (Those wonderful Commando days) . When walking in a single line formation, there were no snakes in sight, but walking in a spread out line formation, guaranteed chaos … Snakes would pop up everywhere, rinkals, cobras all sorts of snakes, with or without hoods, troops screaming and running into all directions.
Just makes one realize how a snake gets out of your way without you even knowing it is/was there. (In the spread out line formation they have nowhere to escape to. )

It was, of course, very humorous when the snakes were far away from you, to see the other guys literally jump into the air, mention must be made of colourful language that accompanied the jumper’s antiques, it was strictly not for the faint hearted.
I also remember pulling out a piece of grass one day during a rest break when I spotted a leave pattern, inches from my hand, a puffadder, lying neatly in the grass. I count myself very lucky for not getting bitten.

The only other place where I have experienced a lot of snakes, were in the Amsterdam area (Mpumalanga) I guess when moving in big groups, you have an impact on a larger area and are disturbing the snakes out of their hiding places.

Bennievis I am very very grateful that I have never had a close encounter with a snake and I hope that I will always remain very very grateful so I am still grateful that I do not have a personal story to share . But it is interesting to read experiences of others and I feel sorry for them especially if they did not ask for a close encounter. The one about the commando formation that you told is a bit . The one incident where the person reported on the forum about the black mamba on the Sweni road hitting at him through the open car window made me very uneasy . And then the lady who was bitten at the Pafuri picnic site . But there are also people who do not fear snakes but they respect them, I suppose their knowledge about snakes put them in a better position than some of us who rather avoid any contact with snakes . So, if snakes could talk I think they would tell me to please go my own way and leave them alone .

Hi Grantmissy
The Sweni/Black mamba story is a very scary, but very interesting one:shock:

I have mentioned this before somewhere
at Punda I was taking a load to the laundry to be washed. Out the corner of my eye just as you climb the steps into the laundry I saw movement I stopped and it was a nice black mamba about 3 metres long wringling up onto the first step across and down again and it went towards the pool . it was about away from me.
I am not scared of snakes and just kept tjoep still . I had no cmaers ... pity as he was a nice beeeeg one.I dont think he noticed me .....

Don't think I would be around for long enough to hear them, Bennievis !

Which was a very good thing I think as a black mamba is best avoided . Perhaps there are many snakes present in the camps but some of us just do not see or encounter them.

In 1999 / 2000 I was the 3rd or 4th in the line on the Wolhuter trail , the ranger and tracker stepped over a large - I estimate 1 metre long - puff adder that was partly obscured by grass that I heard slithering away ... quite a fortunate escape ... ?

I clearly remember this day as Jaco Badenhorst , the trails ranger called up a Pear Spotted Owl .
Later it was oppresively hot & humid and we also swam in knee deep crystal clear water from recent rain that was running in a sandy river bed.

I have once read on the forum that snakes are fond of drains and those types of plumbing in- and outlets, even toilets . Since reading that I am always very very careful when in Kruger and I always look at all plumbing with suspicion. Just to remind me not to relax I have read today on News24 of a snake that bit a man while he was showering at a lodge in KZN and the snake came through the drain of the shower

Kobie Kruger wrote in her one of her books describing their experiences when her husband was a section ranger in Kruger that they eventually came to the conclusion that snakes were entering their house through the toilet bowl.