SAReptiles • View topic - Nice one MrG
Nice one MrG
by SABOAMAN » Thu Mar 14, 2013 6:26 am
Found this in the Beeld this morning.
And the forum is mentioned in the article
As soon as I get the English version I will post it.
http://www.beeld.com/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/7 ... r-20130313
78 slange dié somer van erwe verwyder
Net aan die Wes-Rand het die nooddienste al dié somer meer as 78 slange van inwoners se erwe verwyder.
“Die meeste is weer op ’n veilige plek vrygelaat,” het Gerhardt Nieuwoudt, hoof van Mogale City se nooddienste en ’n slangkenner, gesê.
Slange is volgens hom aktiewer in warm gebiede en die meeste word weens die welige plantegroei in KwaZulu-Natal aangetref.
“Daar is egter orals slange. Selfs in en om die Johannesburg/Pretoria-omgewing word daar jaarliks heelwat slange gevang en veilig verwyder.”
Volgens Nieuwoudt word slange se habitat bedreig deur ontwikkeling en daarom kom hulle meer in stedelike gebiede voor.
Beeld het in die afgelope week oor drie mense berig wat deur slange gebyt is.
Nooddiensbeamptes aan die Wes-Rand is opgelei om reptiele veilig te vang en weer vry te laat in gebiede waar hulle nie ’n probleem vir mense is nie, het Nieuwoudt gesê.
Volgens hom bevorder sekere TV-programme ’n vrees vir slange, terwyl die meeste in Suid-Afrika eintlik onskadelik is. Die aantal voorvalle waarin mense gebyt word, is min vergeleke met lande soos Indië en Indonesië. “In Suid Afrika is goeie mediese hulp ook nie ver weg nie en sterftes weens slagbyte is eintlik min.”
Die meeste slangbyte vind plaas omdat mense op die verkeerde tyd op die verkeerde plek is. ’n Slang sal homself verdedig as hy bedreig voel, het Nieuwoudt gesê.
“Die talle gevalle van Mosambiekse spoegkobrabyte wys dis ’n slang wat na hitte soek en huishoudelike gebiede begin betree. ’n Slang oorleef deur hitte en kos. As daar nie wegkruipplek en kos soos muise, rotte en paddas op jou erf is nie, is jy veiliger.”
Voorkom slangbyte só
- As jy ’n slang gewaar, is die veiligste om hom met rus te laat.
- Staan op ’n veilige afstand en indien jy meen hy is ’n gevaar, kontak die nooddienste, polisie of ’n plaaslike slangkenner. Kontaknommers kan op webwerwe soos sareptiles.co.za gevind word.
- Moet die slang nooit probeer vang as jy nie seker is waarmee jy te doen het nie.
- Moenie ’n slang vaskeer nie.
- Slange word meestal gevind in digte bosse en grasveld, dus moet stappers versigtig wees wanneer hulle gaan stap en kyk waar hulle hul voete neersit. Hulle moet ook behoorlike toe skoene dra.
- Kampeerders moet hul tent se ritssluiter saans toe hou en ook mooi kyk wanneer hulle rondstap.
Re: Nice one MrG
by scotty121 » Thu Mar 14, 2013 9:31 am
Just on the West Rand emergency services all this summer more than 78 snakes of residents stands removed. "Most are back in a safe place released," said Gerhardt Nieuwoudt, head of Mogale City's emergency services and a snake expert said. Snakes according to him more active in warm areas and most are due to the lush vegetation found in KwaZulu-Natal. "There are snakes everywhere. Even in and around the Johannesburg / Pretoria area there are a lot of snakes captured and safely removed annually. " Nieuwoudt snake's habitat is threatened by development and therefore they are more in urban areas. Beeld reported over the past week three people by snakes bitten. Emergency officials on the West Rand trained reptiles safely catch and release late in areas where they are not a problem for people is, Nieuwoudt said. According to promote certain TV shows a fear of snakes, while the majority in South Africa is actually harmless. The number of incidents in which people bitten is low compared with countries such as India and Indonesia. "In South Africa, good medical help is not far away and deaths due slagbyte actually little." Most snake bites occur because people at the wrong time in the wrong place. A snake will defend himself if he feels threatened, Nieuwoudt said. "many cases of Mozambican spoegkobrabyte show it to heat a snake search and domestic areas began to enter. A snake survived by heat and food. If there is no hiding place and food as mice, rats and frogs in your yard, you are safer. " ... avoid snake bites so if you see a snake, is safest to leave him alone. Arise a safe distance and if you believe he is a danger, contact the emergency services, police or a local snake expert. Contact numbers can be found on sites like sareptiles.co.za . Must the snake never try to catch you if you are not sure that you do not. Do a trapped snake. Snakes are mostly found in dense forests and grasslands , so hikers should be careful when they go for a walk and see where they put their feet. They should also wear proper shoes. Campers must keep their tent's zip evenings when and look pretty when they walk around.
by SABOAMAN » Thu Mar 14, 2013 9:48 am
Took some time for News 24 to run the same article. But the picture on the English news is a Ball python
http://www.news24.com/Green/News/Snakes ... s-20130314
Johannesburg – During the past summer, West Rand emergency services removed more than 78 snakes from residential stands, the Beeld newspaper reported on Thursday.
"Most were released into a safe environment," snake expert Gerhardt Nieuwoudt, who is also the head of Mogale City's emergency services, said.
He said snakes were generally more active in warm areas and preferred the lush vegetation found in KwaZulu-Natal.
"But there are snakes everywhere... even in and around Gauteng a lot of snakes are captured and removed annually."
He said encroaching urban development threatened the reptiles' habitat and they had therefore become a lot more prevalent in urban areas.
Beeld reported three snake bite incidents in the past week.
Nieuwoudt said emergency officials on the West Rand were trained to safely capture snakes.
He told the newspaper certain television shows promoted an irrational fear of snakes, and that most South African snake species were harmless.
The best thing to do to prevent snake bites was to keep a safe distance, as a snake would defend itself if it felt threatened, and to find a contact number for an experienced snake handler, some of which were listed on sareptiles.
by MrG » Thu Mar 14, 2013 5:29 pm
The article should have stated in the last summer(2011/2012) as we are currently still in this one. This year so far we stand at around 51 calls. It seems that there is a big hype around the few bites that occured the last few weeks and as I explained I think it is because of people using technology more (facebook, internet etc.) that we become more aware about it. Hopefully the message will be positive and people will think about not killing them.
by SABOAMAN » Thu Mar 14, 2013 7:55 pm
At least Beeld quoted you mostly correct.
A lot of people will see the article and that's part of the education process. The forum was mentioned as a reference for snake removal research. Hopefully someone will remember that, the next time a snake is in their garden
by Bushviper » Fri Mar 15, 2013 6:26 pm
I was also misquoted in the Beeld today. I said we will be seeing more snakes till the end of April and if people try to catch or kill them we will see more bites.
by Pelamis » Sat Mar 16, 2013 7:20 am
Yeah, and I have also been misquoted on a number of times by Beeld... especially on snakebite cases...