Snakes at Nkorho?

REPTILES
Nile Crocodile

Leguaan (Nile/Water Monitor)


Leguaan (Rock Monitor)

Flap-neck Chameleon


Blue-headed Tree Agama

African Rock Python


Rainbow Rock Skink

Puff Adder


Leopard Tortoise

http://www.nkorho.com/contact_us/view.html?mosmsg=Thank+you+for+your+e-mail

smalldog when i wanted to know about the meaning of nkorho i e-mailed the lodge site is in here - and they answered -

SD, I cant answer for the Lodge, but to give an idea of a few of the many snakes that occur in the area:
Black Mamba - highly venomous
Boomslang - highly venomous
Puff Adder - highly venomous
Mozambique Spitting Cobra - highly venomous
Vine Snake - highly venomous
Red-lipped Herald - slightly venomous
Varigated Bush Snake - non venomous
African Rock Python - non venomous but large enough to kill a human through constriction (also has large sharp teeth that aren't brushed regularly so bite can cause some damage)

There are also several other snake species in the area which range from harmless (to humans) to highly venonmous.

Landi

Thanks Barry and Landi.

I think if I were there I might be somewhat afraid but exhillarated being around the large predators, but, I would be positively terror stricking thinking about what might be slithering along hidden in the grass or worse, up in a tree ready to fall on me :shock:

WildlifeCampus is co-incidently busy creating a new Course on Advanced Snakes and Reptiles of the Loweveld - the area in which you'll find the Sabi Sands and this lodge and pan.

The number of snakes species is actually ± 64 and range from the harmless to the medically important.

Lodges are unlikely to keep and antivenin, better known as anti-venom. This is due to the fact that it simply doesn't keep and if you like is best "served" (intravenously) fresh. Antivenin is made and stock-piled by the SA Vaccine Producers based in Johannesburg.

However, the South African medical rescure services at the high end of the market are exceptional. In the extremely unlikely event that a guest becomes a snake bite victim, the patient would be medi-vaced and be in a world-class facility in Johannesburg in under 4 hours, which even for the most dangerous species leaves an 8 hour window before any venom effects can become life threatening.

The only snake bite victims who do die, are those who don't get effective treatment within 12 hours. The odds of receiving a serious snake bite in South Africa are ± 1 in 1,000,000 or ± 50 cases annually.

Let me add something to this Anti Venom Issue.

First of all, its correct to be in professional medical Attention after being "tagged".

Due to Anti Venom is extracted out of Horse Blood,(Horses get small amount of Venom implemented as they produce the important Anti bodies)
everyone gets tested to allergic reactions regarding Animal Proteins. (Horse proteins) before Anti Venom is applied.
At the End, the Horse kills you, not the Cobra

Further more Anti Venom expires after 6 Months, is a hell of expensive and has to be stored cool.

Anti Venom exists in 2 Groups, Mono valent and Poly Valent. The Mono Valent, means, it works against the Venom of 1 specific species of Snake.
This is interesting for snake farms, etc.

The Poly Valent Anti Venom is a Coctail of a Collection of Snakes appearing in a certain Area, eg. Mpumalanga.

And Anti Venom is not the "All Holy" Solution if you have met the actually uncertain Event of being bitten.As all Medications, also Anti Venom has its Site Effects. Long Term medical Effects mostly source from the medication, rather from the Snake.

The all time solution of all snake handlers in the world is " Dont get tagged"

Regarding the Statistics of Mortalities in South Africa, I red about 10 Years ago in a paper in JHB.

6 ppl die anually on a snake bite
200 ppl get struck by lightning
1800 kids drown in the domestic Swimming Pool.

So, if you are at Nkorho, watch out for the Swimming Pool (maybe a snake takes a bath in there) :shock:

There was a boomslang in the pool at Berg-en-dal (Kruger) last week :shock:

Dr Snuggles, thanks for the interesting post, good to see you again, what are you doing in Iran :

You see, another dangerous Swimming Pool

The Reason for finding snakes in the Pool fairly often, is, simply, they cannot get out anymore

Was the pool full of water...or empty...?
Can a snake'' swim'' : (except of Natrix sp and the similar of course)

Exept of some Viper species from Asia, actually all snakes can swim. I saw a Puffadder swim over a River in Mali, West Africa.

Yes , Even the Swimming Pool is full, the last step from the water surface to the prim is very difficult for snakes to reach on.

Thanks DrSnuggles...Very interesting...I didn't know that snakes can swim.... :!:

As the only venomus snakes here belongs to the Vipera sp then there isn't a problem for the pool swimmers at the southeast Europe then

This didnt leave me alone for a while, and I researched the Viper Species, what could drown.

Its Calloselasma rhodostoma

I linked it in here for you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calloselasma_rhodostoma

When I bought them in 2001 , the former Keeper adviced me, not to put a too deep water pot for drinking and bathing in there, as they litarly forget , that they are under water. So they could drown.

If they really cannot swim or they could only drown, while resting in a pond, I cannot tell. I should have tried to put them in the bath to see.

But I dont have snakes anymore.