VKLM FIRE
The portal for public information to residents within the Victor Khanye Municipal area on safety
Legal stuff:
By notice from the Webmaster
Please adhere to COVID-19 regulations and STAY SAFE
January is going to be above normal warm with the possibility of severe thunderstorm forming.
Please ensure storm water trenches, gutters are cleared of leaves, etc. verify roofs are secure, and check those trees..
Snake Data Sheet
Lets debunk some common myths first
There are numerous myths about snakes and their actions out there, but we are only concentrating on the following few;
"If you kill a snake, others will come after you"
Snakes do not have any sort of social bond, nor the intellect nor memory to recognise and remember an assailant. The movies may be partially responsible for this myth.
There are also the believe that dead snakes attract others, this is partially true. Snakes do not have any form of social bond, but during breeding season, male snakes have been known to attempt to mate with dead females. Female snakes have chemical cues which attract male snakes, these male snakes do not understand death and are merely attracted by the "scent" of a female snake. For the general public, it is difficult to make a clear distinction between the sexes of snakes, therefore the advice is usually given to burn the killed snake in order to remove the chemical signatures. This is pure advice to avoid the scenario.
"Snakes are poisonous"
Technically, snakes are venomous and not poisonous. But not all of them are venomous by any means.
South Africa have a large group of venomous snakes, although only a few can give a fatal bite to humans.
We also have a large group of non-venomous snakes which includes constrictors such as Boa's or Pythons.
Poisons must be ingested, inhaled or absorbed through the skin, whilst venom must be injected into the bloodstream.
"Snakes are out to get you"
Humans are larger, generally faster and stronger than most South African snakes. Snakes have a number of predators, of which humans well and truly qualify.
When you encounter a snake it is usually caught off guard (as you are), but the vast majority of encounters are avoided by a snake vanishing as soon as it hears you coming.
A surprised snake will pick the nearest escape route and aim to disappear as quickly as possible, particularly when faced with a potential predator many times its own size. However, snakes in general have poor eyesight and don’t always pick the best route out of trouble. Therefore if you encounter a snake and you remain still, the snake will slither by without giving you any attention.
If a snake feels cornered, it will often stand and defend itself as a last resort.
Snake behaviour can also become more erratic in spring during the breeding season, and some females become more defensive if eggs or if young are nearby.
The only snake that are faster than what a human can run are the Black Mamba, but it will only persue when threatened, but more information will be given under the topics of various snakes within the list below.
However, the vast majority of bites to humans in South Africa occur because someone decided not to leave a snake alone.
For the record, here’s what you can do to keep snakes out of your yard.
Unlike the common believes, which will be explained under the Do Not's some actions actually makes it more dangerous to the patient suffering from a snake bite.
The following are recommendations on what can be done where envenomed bites did occur;
Please visit the ASI official website by clicking on the ASI Badge above.
Their website was used as reference for some of the information given here.
There are more interresting information on there and also a few awesome posters that can be downloaded.
Rinkals - VENOMOUS - Most common
Puff Adder - VENOMOUS
Nag Adder - VENOMOUS
Tree Snake (Boomslang) - VENOMOUS
Skaapsteker - MILDY VENOMOUS
Brown House snake - HARMLESS
Aurora House snake - HARMLESS
Mole snake - HARMLESS
Select the snake name and the data sheet will load in the frame below.
Important Info from the ASI
During January we saw a large number of baby Rinkals (Hemachatus haemachatus) sightings, especially in the Highveld. Female Rinkhals give birth to live young and bear around 20-30 babies in late summer. These babies are tiny and measure around 16 - 20 cm at birth. The young snakes are independent as soon as they are born and disperse in all directions to find food and shelter. These babies are venomous and can spit their venom from the moment they are born
More info are available from ASI on their monthly newsletters. Please follow the newsletter link, courtesy from the ASI.
Aurura house snake
Skaapsteker
Lamprophis Aurura
Berg Adder
Brown House Snake
Puff Adder
Rinkals
Nag Adder