Detox Treatise

There are not many regions in the world that haven’t been colonised by snakes and other reptiles. Snakes can be even found in towns, although it is only the friendlier ones that usually survive our wrath. However, if you want to look for some of the more uncommon snakes, you could try in parks and fields, on beaches or in rivers and ponds and even in the sea, depending on where you live, of course, as sea snakes tend to inhabit warmer, tropical waters.

You will need to be very alert and accustom your eyes to notice even the smallest movement. Wear clothes of dull, drab colours and move slowly, stopping often to listen for movement in the grass or bushes. In the beginning, you will have many false hopes, until you learn to differentiate between the sounds of the different animals that live or hunt in the grass.

Snakes are difficult to find, because most of the adventurous snakes get killed by frightened (and often ignorant) humans, but a good tip is to look for relatively damp areas in arid regions and, conversely, dry spots in damp areas. Look for where their prey might congregate. For example, near water for toads and frogs. Look out for frightened lizards or birds fleeing for their lives. And listen out for geckos warning each other of the presence of a predator.

If you have to disturb anything, at least don’t damage it and make sure you put it back as you found it. Two useful tools while out looking for snakes are binoculars (for tree snakes) and a snake-hook, which should also be used for moving bits of debris so that you don’t risk getting bitten by a snake or stung by a scorpion. A camera, a torch and a notebook and pen are more or less essential, depending on how seriously you treat your interest in herpetology.

You could also take a rule or tape to measure your specimens and a few plastic bags and boxes to hold them while you are doing so. Do not kill anything and do not take anything away with you either! Besides it not being right to wander into their territory and cause mayhem, it is frequently against the law too. Be very wary of handling any snake that you cannot 100% positively identify as non-venomous. You could be miles from anywhere and will probably not have anti-venom with you. Since many snakes can kill within 30 minutes, you would probably die.

So, to summarize, go looking for snakes by all means. However, make your search slowly and wear inconspicuous clothing. Furthermore, wear strong, climbing boots to give you some protection where you are most vulnerable and do not disturb anything you don’t have to. Take a snake-hook to move things if you need to; a tape, torch, camera, notebook and pen to record your experience and/or findings and a couple of clear plastic receptacles just in case you feel the need to pick something up.

I hope you really enjoy your search for snakes and other reptiles, but always bear in mind that snakes are not friendly and they are definitely not pets, so be wary of snake bites especially if your search is not taking place in the grounds of a hospital!

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