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Are tongs safe for amateurs to use
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by Kenyalover on November 21, 2003
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On two of my four trips to Kenya I have been involved in snake episodes - once a cobra in my bathroom at the tented camp and last month a green mamba 3 feet away from me on my veranda. The men who work in the camp do not have antivenin available (they would have to be driven about an hour to get to the nearest clinic where antivenin is available) and catch and kill the snakes with bare feet, hands and a stick. Would I be doing them a favor of giving a gift of tongs and bag or might it be more dangerous than what they are currently doing? Can an amateur learn to use tongs correctly and safely?
I will be returning in January and would like to know the best thing to do. They don't have 24 hour electricity so buying antivenin probably wouldn't work because I believe it needs to be refrigerated.
To all you snake experts out there, your advice would be much appreciated.
Kenyalover
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RE: Are tongs safe for amateurs to use
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by TomT on November 21, 2003
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While I don't think you'd be endangering the men by giving them snake tongs as a gift, it might be easier to teach them something about snake behavior in general, and in that way you'd be doing them *and* the snakes in the area a favor at the same time.
The majority of the snake encounters, that lead to a bite, are the result of either trying to kill or capture the snake (or otherwise molest it). Most often, when given a choice between fight or flight, the snake will elect to flee rather than bite a human. They naturally choose their battles wisely, unlike we homo sapiens, and they choose survival over a fight that cannot be won.
Instruct you assistants to merely go after the snake(s) with a broom or other non-lethal means, and I will guarantee that the snake will opt for the nearest exit, providing the man with broom isn't blocking said exit, and the snake will never be seen again. Aversion (to humans) training is simple for snakes... scare the heck out of them and they will flee for their lives, and rarely return to the scene of the scare....
Do a little research on snake bites and you will see that I am telling you the truth. "Legitimate" bites, meaning those where a chance encounter leads to a bite, typically when the bitten party has no idea that the snake is present, are few and far between. The demographic (in America at least) speaks for itself... most snake bite "victims" are 18-30 year old males, and almost invariably there's alcohol (and a lot of machismo) involved....
So, no.... you won't be endangering the men because the tongs are difficult for a novice to use, but yes, you might be endangering them by giving them the confidence to try to take on a snake that they would be far better off (statistically at least) leaving alone in the first place. I tell all my educational class participants something that Terry VanDeventer told me several years ago... If you see a snake while you're outside, especially if you don't know if it's venomous or not, take three steps back and go someplace else....
Tom Townsend
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RE: Are tongs safe for amateurs to use
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by Kenyalover on November 21, 2003
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Tom:
Thank you so much for your thought provoking answers. I will think more about it tonight. However, when I think of the number of people in Kenya who regularly walk along paths surrounded by high grass in just sandals made of old tires I feel it is a miracle more people are killed. It is known that the adders don't move out of your way, and just one misstep could end it all.
I have felt badly both times that the snake was killed rather than released away from everything. However, I try to see the point of the people working at the lodge also when snakes are a common occurence there. The tourists are lucky enough that their tents are up on a 3 - 4 foot foundation. However, the employees tents are on bare ground. Apparently when the snakes get too hot they crawl under the tents and the men have to deal with them. Their main concern is the tourists safety though. Next time I won't walk in my tent with bare feet though!!
Indeed I just got a note from the Kenya Wildlife ranger who spotted "my" green mamba on my veranda (the ranger had tried pushing the snake off with a long stick but instead it raced up the tent pole and onto the makuti roof where it stayed until the men took the makuti apart and got it) and he said a mamba had crawled under his tent two weeks ago. They also said in the rainy season they see far more snakes than during the dry season.
You herp lovers would all have a heyday in Kenya. Maybe you should plan a snake catching safari there!
Jan
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RE: Are tongs safe for amateurs to use
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by TomT on November 21, 2003
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I understand the perspective of dealing with "nuisance" animals all too well... here, there aren't many snakes that fit that description, but there are many other animals that are dealt with in a similar fashion... beaver, deer, bear, otter, mink... just to name a few, are seen as pests in many cases and are killed (permits provided by our Game Wardens) rather than relocated.
I'd love to see Kenya. I've dreamed of seeing Africa since I was a boy... Australia too... You'll have to come back and tell us more about the snakes you see on your next trip...
Regards,
Tom Townsend
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RE: Are tongs safe for amateurs to use
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by Snakeman1982 on November 22, 2003
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Hello Janet,
I would have to totally agree with Tom. I deal a lot with reptilian behavior and have never had a "wild" snake actually attack anyone around me. Regardless of the many stories I get told, I know of few herpetologists that have been aggressively advanced towards by snakes. In the U.S. it is now common knowledge, to those who choose to know the facts, that snakes are defensive and not aggressive. People generally get bit only when they purposely get into close contact with them or the rarer occasions when they accidentally stand on them.
Africa and Asia however are two continents with a history of wildlife encounters that go bad for humans. A lot of myths and stories surround the snakes of these regions and many species such as black mambas have often been reported to actually be aggressive in nature. Regardless of this, I would completely believe that aggressive or not, the most safe approach a person can take when encountering a snake is to scare it away (if it is in your home) or just to walk away and wait for it to leave.
Remember that the snake has no reason to bite you except for in defense of itself. After all, it does no benefit for a snake to bite a human since we are generally too large to eat.
Just about everybody on this website deals with venomous snakes pretty often. If snakes were so horrible as the average person seems to believe, then there would be several of us a year die off and that hasn't happened yet from anyone on this website (or any other that I post on) that I know of.
Also remember that there isn't a snake in the world that can out run a person so if you see one in advance just walk in the opposite direction. That is the only way to be 100% sure you won't get bit. As far as the ones you can't see, just watch your step.
Robert Jadin
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RE: Are tongs safe for amateurs to use
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by Kenyalover on November 22, 2003
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Tom and Robert:
Many thanks for your thoughtful advice. I think perhaps it would make more sense for me to buy some regular sized brooms for the men to have on hand. They use short 2 1/2 foot brooms that one has to bend over to use. If they had a regular length broom it would certainly help.
My hat goes off to you men and women who regularly deal with poisonous snakes. I certainly wouldn't have the nerve to do it. As I told the men at the tented camp, I would rather take my chances walking up to the waterhole with 50 elephants there than deal with a poisonous snake. At least with the elephants, when you talk to them they can sense whether you are a threat or not, and you can tell by their actions whether or not they are going to charge you. With a poisonous snake, if you are not an expert, it is hard to tell what the snake will do. I have forced myself to watch all the snake programs of Mark O'Shea, Steve Irwin in Africa and Jeff Corwin just so I could identify the African snakes so at least I know what most of them look like. But the fear is still there. When I was about 8 or 9 years old I used to love snakes. We would pick them up in the fields and chase people with them. We knew a man in our town who was a professional snake catcher. He would catch rattlesnakes and fill a huge coffin-like glass box with them and when he had enough he would send them to the Ross Allen Serpentarium in Florida for milking the venom. One day he was walking across the bridge in town on the way home from church and a snake swung out of a tree and hit him. He didn't get a good look at it and figured it was a harmless snake and treated the bite by himself. He died 5 days later and when they autopised him they found he had been bitten by a water mocassin which at the time was unheard of in northern Pennsylvania. Ever since then I have been afraid of snakes.
I have often wondered though if those of you who do keep poisonous snakes put a "Danger - poisonous snakes" decal on the windows of the rooms you keep the snakes in. I heard of someone in New England who keeps them and it got me wondering, if there were a fire and firefighters had to go into a house with poisonous snakes they could be in a terrificly dangerous situation. How do you warn your local authorities that they might be in danger if you are not present?
I hope that when I go to Kenya in January I won't see any snakes this time. I'm beginning to feel I am a jinx. Twice in Amboseli my vehicle broke down and twice in Tsavo I had snake episodes but I wouldn't give up the experiences I have for anything in the world. It is a magnificent place to go.
Thanks again for all the advice and knowledge.
Jan
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RE: Are tongs safe for amateurs to use
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by Snakeman1982 on November 22, 2003
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Hey Janet,
If you want to be able to identify any snake that you come across, then by this book.
"Field Guide to the Reptiles of East Africa: All the Reptiles of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi" (2001) by Stephen Spawls, James Ashe, and Harald Hinkel. It is considered very good and covers every species of reptiles in each country, which includes venomous snakes. Plus it will teach you a lot of interesting facts about them so you can better understand them. It has 543 pages, nearly 500 photographs and is hardback.
I looked it up for you and right now it is $50 at Barnesandnoble.com, $37 at Booksamillion.com, and a steal at $35 at Amazon.com. This should help you out a lot and is probably the best valued herp book that I can think of. I would think that it would cost a lot more than $35. It is definitely one that I plan on buying as soon as I finish collecting Central American guides, if I don't get it for Christmas.
Thanks again for trying to see snakes from our point of view. I am sure it makes us all feel better that even if you aren't the most comfortable with snakes that you are trying to learn about them more and understand them.
Robert Jadin
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RE: Are tongs safe for amateurs to use
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by Kenyalover on November 23, 2003
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Robert:
Thank you so much for telling me about this book. I shall buy two, one for myself to read before I go and one to leave for the employees at Satao Camp. I'm sure they can identify the snakes common to that area, but they may learn a lot about each species.
On driving back to camp from Voi one evening about 6 o'clock the driver swerved and braked and then started backing up on the sandy road and then proceeded to point out to me an adder just lying in the sandy road sleeping. He had not been hit. It looked as though he was just soaking up the warmth of the sandy road. I enjoyed seeing him from inside the car and from knowing that the driver cared enough not to run him over. I'm sure the employees would like to have a book such as the one you mentioned in their lounge and I shall be sure to get them before I go.
Thanks again,
Jan
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RE: Are tongs safe for amateurs to use
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by Nightflight99 on November 29, 2003
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Encounters between snakes and humans are indeed very common in Africa, as there are many species that are commonly found throughout a wide range. As westeners, it is often tempting to condemn the locals for wearing light sandals or no footwear, and for walking and sleeping on an unprotected, non-elevated surface. Many westeners don't understand the conditions in many African countries, and thus fail to recognize the issue at hand. The level of poverty is extreme in parts of rural Africa, moreso than in most other continents. The fight for survival is very real for many of the people there, and it is certainly not a lack of motivation that keeps them from wearing high boots or elevating their sleeping quarters.
Many rural Africans have other worries than to be concerned about the conservation of venomous snakes, which still cause a significant amount of fatalities in many parts. Antivenin is often unavailable, and medical facilities (when they actually do live up to this terminology) can be far and few between.
I have found that the best approach with regard to conservation is to emphasize the importance of snakes to the ecological equilibrium of the African wilderness to the people. Stating and emphasizing that Africans are known to be very proud and respectful of their wilderness and wildlife appeals to their dignity, and may get you much further than telling the potential brother of a snakebite victim that he should leave all snakes alone. You have to work with the people to achieve any conservational success, not against the people.
Supplying the rangers with tongs may not be a bad idea, as there are usually only a few limited people who are able and willing to remove/relocate snakes otherwise. Local snake catchers and snake charmers earn a living doing whatever work involving snakes is available, but will often claim special powers to attract future business. Snake charmers are actually a tradition in Africa, and played a very important role, especially prior to the arrival of the Europeans.
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