Cape Town - The Cape of Good Hope Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) has cautioned citizens to be aware of the presence of snakes as winter nears its end.
According to the animal organisation, the Western Cape is home to 41 different species of snakes, of which only eight are capable of inflicting a bite that is painful and six are considered potentially life-threatening or dangerous to humans or their pets.
“Of those six species of venomous snake, the one we get the most calls about here at the Cape of Good Hope SPCA, is the puffadder.
“A thick-set, slow-moving snake of the adder (or viper) family, puffies pack a nasty bite.
“While their venom is cytotoxic in nature (meaning it acts on living tissue cells), it is also slow acting, meaning you have a good chance of getting medical help before it’s too late.
“Human deaths from puff adder bites are rare, but a bite can still leave you in a bad way with lots of localised swelling at the bite site, extreme pain, and tissue damage that could require many surgeries to patch up,” the SPCA said.
It said it is of key importance to know the difference between venomous and non-venomous snakes.
It said just last week, a man who found a snake in his garden while mowing the lawn was convinced it was a harmless mole snake.
“Upon opening the plastic bag he had placed the snake into, we confirmed it was actually a very angry puff adder.
“The gentleman had cheated fate by quite calmly handling the snake (believing it was harmless), picking it up in his bare hands, and taking it inside his house to find a packet to put it in, never for a moment realising just how close he was to a story with a different ending, one with a lengthy and expensive hospital visit,” the SPCA.
Serious snakebite treatments can be costly, with state or medical aid treatment costing anywhere between R100 000 to R1 million.
The SPCA has urged residents if they are not sure what specie the snake is to either call a snake remover or the SPCA for a positive ID.
The African Snakebite Institute (ASI) said there are between 3 500 and 4 000 cases of snakebites recorded in South Africa annually.
Of those only 800 of the victims will go to the hospital, 40% of them show no symptoms or only experience minor symptoms requiring nothing more than a Panado and rest.
It further said an average of 10 to 12 people will die from bites inflicted by venomous snakes.
According to ASI, the number of fatalities could be higher as deaths in rural areas are not always accurately reported and case history gets lost.
“Rather than fearing snakes, we urge you to learn as much as you can about the ones we live alongside in an effort to better understand them and their behaviour.
“Snakes play an important role in our environment by controlling rodents and other pests,” the SPCA added.
robin.francke@inl.co.za
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