ASI Newsletter - April 2020 

African Myths

Africa is a land filled with folk stories and mythical beasts. From Nyami-nyami, the Zambezi River God, to the mischievous Tokoloshe.

Reptiles seem to get a bad rap in Africa, and many are killed needlessly due to cultural beliefs: Crocodile brain is used to poison one’s enemy. Reportedly, geckos are poisonous, and a whole family died after a gecko fell into their evening dinner and poisoned the food. Chameleons too are not trustworthy, as one cannot trust anything whose eyes can focus on two points at the same time. It is also believed that chameleons can spit venom into one’s eyes, turning the eyes to liquid. All of these stories are completely untrue, and one wonders where these myths came from.  

It is believed that crocodile brain can be used to poison one’s enemy.

Of all reptiles, snakes probably have the worst reputation. Less than twenty percent of snake species in Africa are highly venomous and yet they are all feared. Many stories have been created about the anatomy of snakes. It is believed that the tail has venom and can inflict a bite or stab you. Bizarre! The tongue is also believed to envenomate you if it pokes you. The heart of the snake is thought be situated in either the head or the tail and as a result, many people beat the tail senselessly trying to kill a snake. A snake's heart is about a third of the way down the body. Lastly, it is alleged that the bones of a snake skeleton contain venom and if trodden on with bare feet will kill a person. Venom is stored in the venom glands in the cheeks of the snake and there is no venom in the bones.

A classic idea shared by many Africans across ethnic groups is that if a snake is killed, the mate will come looking for revenge and that the body must be burned. Snakes, for the most part, are solitary animals, only pairing up briefly to mate or, occasionally, one species may hunt another snake species. The chances of seeing two snakes together is very slim and they certainly do not move around in pairs.

ASI COMBO J One of our best selling combos, includes: JM150 Snake Tong 1 m Collapsible Snake Hook 750 mm snake tube First Aid for Snakebite Booklet Safety Glasses for Spitting Snakes And A1 Snakes of Southern Africa Poster Price R1895.00

We have been asked if baby Puff Adders eat their way out of their mothers’ womb, killing her in the process. A rather strange question, we thought. Puff Adders are known to give birth to between ten and fifty live young at a time. After giving birth, the female moves off and, like other snakes, does not care for the young. The only logical explanation to the origin of this belief would be if a gravid female Puff Adder is hit by a car whilst crossing the road and the babies may have been squished out the side, giving the impression that they have eaten their way out the mother and killed her.

Many people are interested in the idea of eating snakes, and some people do eat snakes. Snakes can be eaten as the venom is not stored in the flesh. However, there is not much meat on most snakes and they very often have parasitic worms. Snakes such as the Southern African Python (Python natalensis) are protected in South Africa and may not be killed or eaten. Being caught with a python or any python product (meat, skin, fat or eggs) can result in a serious fine and legal implications. Some people believe that if you eat snake meat, it will ward off all snakes in the future. Having eaten Puff Adder, Rattlesnake and a few others myself, I can say for certain that I still find as many snakes as before, and this theory holds no truth.

ASI Snakebite Bandage Our new snakebite bandages is a demarcated stretch bandage with continuous indicators on them. When applying the bandage it must be stretched until the rectangles form squares – thereby applying the the correct pressure for neurotoxic envenomation. Only for use in cases of Black Mamba and Cape Cobra bites. Price R50.00

A common story is that of snakes near rivers. Many people believe that if you are bitten by a snake near a river, you must get to the water and drink water before the snake does. If the snake beats you to the water, it’s tickets for you! In West Africa, we were told a similar story of green snakes in trees: If you are bitten in a tree and the snake beats you to the ground, you’re dead, unless you make it down first, then you’ll survive. Another very strange concept, and a trend with these theories – they’re illogical and unrealistic.

There are three well-known traditional snakes: Ivusamanzi, Inkanyamba and Indlondlo.
Ivusamanzi is a water snake believed by the Zulus to be seriously venomous. A bite from this snake will kill you in a few steps. Strangely enough, it actually refers to a harmless Brown Water Snake (Lycodonomorphus rufulus).

Inkanyamba is a seven-headed snake that lives in lakes and rivers. During thunderstorms, this animal flies in the clouds and if you have a tin roof that is not painted, it will think it is water and dive into your house, blowing the roof off. It is also said to drown people in dams, pulling them under the water. It apparently won’t touch police divers as they are wearing rubber. No one has ever seen the snake, but many people believe the myth and fear it intensely.

ASI Lightweight Snake Gaiters  Proudly made in South Africa, are flexible snake gaiters that weigh 240 grams each. These gaiters have two high visibility reflective strips – perfect for our clients who work on-site. The Lightweight Snake Gaiters have been tested against bites from the Puff Adder, Cape Cobra, Snouted Cobra and Black Mamba with no penetration during testing. Price R1900.00

Indlondlo is a mythical animal found in Zululand. It is said to be a large Black Mamba that moves with such speed, it can move on top of the sugarcane plants. It is reported to have a large feather on its head, creating a whistling sound as it moves. It then hides in bushes and cries like a baby or a distressed goat, and attacks and kills anyone who investigates. The Zambians have a similar animal that is supposed to smell like rice and attacks people by biting them on the top of the head. It calls like a rooster. So, if you are out in the bush and hear the call of a rooster or smell cooked rice, you need to get to safety!

Of course, none of these stories hold any truth, but they form part of many cultures and often spread the fear of snakes.

The FREE ASI Snakes app has just gone past the 90 000 downloads mark! If you haven't downloaded it yet, you can do so here.

We're rolling out our new Snake Handling Bootcamps at our various training venues around the country. The Bootcamp is a paractical day of snake handling, giving delegates more experince in working with venomuous snakes and real life snake removal scenarios.

Delegates will need to have attended our introductory Snake Awareness, First Aid for Snakebite and Venomous Snake Handling course before joining a bootcamp. 

Our latest video on the Rinkhals is now online! Check it out here.