Welcome To My World
– The Batty Eagle Man
APRIL 2022
Hello everyone,
Time certainly flies when you’re having fun as we are already a third of the way into the year with Easter virtually upon us! We were really hoping to have ‘travelled’ a lot further, meaning that mutual participation is necessary to make wildlife interest work.
More so, you the member must also indicate what you want to read about in this newsletter and you’re more than welcome to send me snippets that I can include in our next issue. Being 54 members strong, it will be great to hear from the silent individuals too and not just the handful of regular contributors…after all, we’d like to see CWIG grow.
Bo
Snake-wise
It has been fairly busy and since capturing commenced we’ve caught and released 19 Puff Adders (61%), 6 Rinkhals (19%), 3 Heralds (10%), 2 Brown Water Snakes (6%) and 1 Common Slug-eater (4%). Currently we use five reintroduction sites and rotate amongst them as to not over crowd and all are approx. 7 – 10 km out of Clarens central. We are continuously looking for additional sites that are most preferably near streams/rivers where we know they will have adequate prey in frogs, rodents, lizards, birds and their eggs.
Having received numerous call outs – at one time 5 per day – it is unfortunate that a lot of snakes (most notably Rinkhals) get away as they weren’t continuously observed. It is paramount that a watchful eye is kept on the reptile so that we can scoop it up and remove it.

Last but never in the least, we have decided to acknowledge the companies that contribute towards our cause and goodwill and their logos will reflect on the last page. We thus welcome Mike Giltrow CEO of Bolt & Engineering Distributors (Group) who contributes vastly to our fabrication of owl nesting boxes and bat houses with an array of fasteners in fabrication and product installations.
COST
As of 1 April 2022, we have been obliged to request a call out fee of R150.00 within Clarens and R250.00 outside Clarens irrespective if we capture the reptile or not. Fuel is becoming very costly and we simply cannot carry the cost on our own and yet provide a free service. Our capturing equipment also carries a price tag of about R7000.00 and the wear and tear thereupon must also be recouped in one way or another.
Emergency Numbers
If you spend a great deal of time in the bush, check whether your medical aid company provides a helicopter evacuation service in medical emergencies and record the appropriate telephone numbers.
Netcare Ambulance 082911
ER24 Ambulance 084124
Poison Information Helpline 0861 555 777
African Snakebite Institute +27 82 494 2039
ASI Snakes App
Available on IOS and the Android Play Store. It has the contact numbers of over 500 snake remover’s country wide. It also has a map of the local hospitals and can aid you in the case of snakebite. The Poison Information Centre contact details are also available as is a direct line to the African Snakebite Institute. This app also has over 150 profiles of snakes, scorpions and spiders and you can also send your photos through for identification.
Source: African Snakebite Institute
Snakes and Hibernation
Hibernation has been described as an inherent, regular and prolonged period of inactivity during winter. Hibernation is a term associated with warm-blooded animals (endotherms) such as mammals and refers to a period of inactivity as well as a shut down in the metabolic system to save energy.
Brumate
Reptiles on the other hand are said to brumate – become less active, but do not shut down and will be active with a slight increase in temperature.
The term brumate was coined by Wilbur Waldo Mayhen back in 1965 and referred to research he was doing on Flat-tailed Horn Lizards – he found that even if he heated these lizards up in winter, unlike other lizards, they would still not feed and become lethargic.
Strangely, Mayhen’s term does not technically apply to the standard period of inactivity in our reptiles as our reptiles will become active with a slight increase in temperature on a warm winter day.
Snakes in cold regions of the world go into a state of torpor (inactivity) for long periods of time, up to 8 months, and often in dens where hundreds or even thousands of snakes may share the same winter shelter.

In southern Africa it rarely gets cold enough for snakes to truly go into torpor and although they are far less active in winter, snakes may emerge from their winter hide-outs on a warm winter day to bask in the sun and drink water.
The Rinkhals is an excellent example and may often be seen basking just outside its hole when a winters day warms up to around 23°C. Even when we have frost on the Highveld and temperatures drop well below zero, these snakes are relatively warm a meter or two underground where the temperature will not drop below 20°C, even in winter.
Eating habits
According to Professor Harry Greene, snakes consume between 6 – 30 meals per year and this is in summer. During winter they do not eat at all or if they do, very little. Most mammals will die within a few days if they are deprived of food but some snakes are known to have survived for more than a year without a meal.
When seeking a hide-out for winter, snakes will carefully seek a shelter that (a) has sufficient moisture to ensure that the snake does not desiccate and (b) cannot easily be located by predators. As it cools down the snake may move deeper and deeper into its hole but they rarely remain motionless unless the temperature drops to close to zero degrees Celsius.
Many environmental conditions appear to control snake movement. We have documented rain and warm weather increasing snake activity. There may be other factors that increase their activity, such as moon phase, barometric pressure, prey and mate abundance.
In southern Africa, snakes do not really hibernate as our winters are very mild. They may be less active and human/snake interactions decrease but on a warm winter’s day, the temperature may exceed 20°C and snakes may sneak out of their hiding spots to soak up some sun.
Most snakes appear to go underground during the colder periods as temperatures are stable a meter underground. As soon as the days start increasing in temperature, the snakes become more active.
During winter most snakes do not eat, as they require high temperatures to digest prey. As soon as temperatures increase, snakes will be on the move in search of food. Many snakes end up around human dwellings as we often have a surplus of snake prey in our gardens in the form of rodents, lizards and geckos, frogs and birds.

Because snakes are ectotherms and require no food for their heat requirements, they can survive with very little food and a large Puff Adder probably consumes less than 1 kg of food per year.

Prior to winter there is a peak of snake activity in South Africa as snakes build up fat reserves and seek a suitable shelter for the cold months ahead.
Spring is snake season
Spring is in full swing in Southern Africa – temperatures are rising, birds are nesting, and we’ve even seen a few minor rain showers.
Many environmental conditions appear to control snake movement. We have documented rain and warm weather increasing snake activity. There may be other factors that increase their activity, such as moon phase, barometric pressure, prey availability and mate abundance.
Reproduction
Mating usually takes places in spring or early summer in most southern African snakes. There are a few exceptions. Black Mambas are well known for mating in autumn and winter, as are Puff Adders and Pythons. Female snakes leave a trail of pheromones to attract male snakes. The male snakes follow the scent trail of the female. Often more than one male will follow the scent and we have come across females with multiple males hoping to mate with her. This may lead to male combat, where the male snakes wrestle for the rights to mate with the female. We are often sent images of large Puff Adders or Black Mambas wrestling and many people mistake this for mating. In male combat, the two males twist around each other, each trying to pin the opponents head to the ground. The winner or dominant male gets to mate with the female and the loser leaves.
Females can mate with multiple males and store sperm. The result of this is that babies from a single clutch may have multiple fathers, increasing their chances of survival and having good genes. Eggs are usually laid in summer and take around 3 months to hatch. Most females do not guard the eggs, and the babies once they’ve hatched, are on their own to fend for themselves. So if you encounter a baby snake, there is little to no chance of finding the mother. However, you may encounter more than one baby snake until they have successfully dispersed.
Secretive Habits
Snakes are not frequently seen, due to their secretive habits. We often talk to farmers who have “plenty” of snakes around, but when asked when they last saw one, we find they often haven’t seen a snake in a year or more. On a good day in the field, we may find more than a dozen snakes, but we must work hard to locate them. Obviously the more isolated you are and the greater the natural area around your house, the more snakes you may encounter. Built up areas may still have a few snakes that take advantage of the high abundance of water and food. These are usually snakes such as the Brown House Snake, Spotted Bush Snakes or Herald Snakes. Even Rinkhals may thrive in built up areas of Gauteng although they are almost locally extinct in the built up regions of the Cape.

Snakes too are on the move and we are starting to get bombarded with daily messages requesting snake removals or ID’s of snakes by the public. The first snakebites will have been reported and some dogs may have already been bitten too.

Some snakes, like pythons and Puff Adders, are actively busy with mating on the Highveld right into the middle of winter. In mating, the snakes are usually secretive and the male approaches the female cautiously, with his tongue constantly flickering. He then slides on to her or beside her and wraps his tail around hers and inserts one of its two reproductive organs.
Snakebite
Very few snake encounters end up in snakebite. Snakes are shy and avoid human conflict as much as possible. Over the whole of southern Africa, we see less than 50 deaths a year from snakebite. Our hospitals are generally well equipped to deal with snakebite.
Many people ask if all the hospitals stock anti-venom and where they should go if they are bitten by a snake. The truth is that the vast majority of snakebites do not require anti-venom and are treated symptomatically. Therefore any hospital with a trauma unit would be good. Many rural hospitals are well practiced with snakebite treatment and often have better experience than suburban hospitals. In the short term, the most dangerous aspect of snakebite is the lack of breathing due to neurotoxic venom (found largely in the Black Mamba and Cape Cobra for example). This can be treated by putting the patient on a ventilator.
Venom in the eyes from spitting snakes must be flushed out as soon as possible. We recommend using a running tap to wash out as much excess venom as possible. Any bland liquid can be used, but water works best. You should visit a doctor after the incident to have the eyes examined and treated with local anaesthetic and antibiotic cream to prevent corneal damage.
Pets often get bitten by snakes, especially dogs. Due to their hunting instincts, they attempt to kill snakes and often end up getting bitten. There are no household recipes or tricks to deal with snakebites in pets and it is best to get your pet to a veterinarian. In serious cases anti-venom is needed. Cutting the tip of the ear, injecting petrol, making your pet drink milk or swallow charcoal as well as administering tablets does nothing for your pet and just causes additional stress. Pets that are spat in the eyes by Rinkhals or one of the spitting cobras need to have their eyes washed out as soon as possible. Use a running hose and flush the excess venom out as best as possible, and then get it to a vet.
The free ASI Snakes App is available on IOS and the Android Play Store. It has the contact numbers of over 500 snake remover’s country wide. It also has a map of the local hospitals and can aid you in the case of snakebite. The Poison Information Centre contact details are also available as is a direct line to the African Snakebite Institute. This app also has over 150 profiles of snakes, scorpions and spiders and you can also send your photos through for identification.

Venom in the eyes from spitting snakes must be flushed out as soon as possible. We recommend using a running tap to wash out as much excess venom as possible. Any bland liquid can be used, but water works best. You should visit a doctor after the incident to have the eyes examined and treated with local anaesthetic and antibiotic cream to prevent corneal damage.

Venomous snake bite. See the fang marks.

Nonvenomous snake bite

With a dramatic drop in snake activity in winter, very few bites are reported and the majority of bites on humans are recorded in the warm summer months of January – April/May.
Local Species – Clarens and Surrounds
The most common snakes that one will encounter in our neck of the woods and the highlighted are most frequent captured and released snakes by us.
Puff Adder – very dangerous
Rinkhals – very dangerous
Cape Berg Adder – dangerous
Mole Snake – dangerous
Herald or Red-lipped Snake – mildly venomous
Common Slug-eater – harmless
Spotted Skaapsteker –harmless
Cross-marked Grass Snake – harmless
Olive Snake – harmless
Rhombic or Plain Egg-eater – harmless
Bibron’s Blind Snake – harmless
Spotted Rock Snake – harmless
Aurora House Snake – harmless
Brown Water Snake – harmless
Last but not least, we can all take a breather and rest assured that the likelihood of stumbling upon a snake will become less probable, now that we are entering the autumn and winter seasons, however, you may still encounter a few here and there, but they shouldn’t be bothersome.
office hours
Address
Swartland, Clarens, 9707
info@battyeagleman.com
Phone
+27 (79) 505-6419