“If looks could kill” … just seeing this Cape Cobra in the wild would scare me to death!
Probably a Rinkhals or possibly a Spitting Cobra
When I learned that PC would be sending me to South Africa, one of the first things I did was an internet search for snakes in SA. Wasn’t too pleased with results. I knew green and black mambas were indigenous thanks to a documentary I had seen. What I didn’t know was that other snakes such cobras and puff adders are also on the list.
During training, our PC security authority, Gert, gave a session on snakes (a personal interest of his). Gert and another expert brought live specimens of snakes and presented quite a show (pics #1 & 2). They informed us that the likelihood of our seeing such snakes in the wild is extremely low. I was counting on them being correct.
HOWEVER, just a week ago, a PCV who lives no more than 30-40 miles away reported that a cobra was found (and killed) at or near his home. That’s way too close for my comfort level.
For what it’s worth, most everyone in the village is morbidly afraid of snakes. It doesn’t matter which kind, big or small, poisonous or not. They strongly advise us against going for hikes in the local mountains or in the bush. Too many snakes, they say. We ask if they’ve ever seen any snakes in the mountains or bush and they say no. But they know they are there!
Go to Devil’s Mtn in Montana and there are similar signs waring about rattle snakes
I haven’t seen any live snakes in my village, but in November the girl next door was bitten by a snake in her yard. Her foot swelled up and she had to be rushed to the hospital. She was fine but eish! Talk about scary…
There’s something so universal about the fear of snakes–guess it goes back to the Garden of Eden–even though the ancient Greeks associated snakes with healing like in the caduceus. But around our house, we go with the Garden of Eden perspective. Recently after we had found a small live garter snake in our basement (and another dead one), Jim relocated the live one to a nature preserve. ( And we replaced the outside basement door that had started to rot along the bottom with a more secure one.)