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

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.

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

You see, another dangerous Swimming Pool

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

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 :

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:

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.

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:

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