lotteringnews: Namibian Snakes

As long as I can remember I was always fascinated by animals, and unlike many people that freaks out when they hear the word snake, spider or scorpion, I/m the opposite. These creatures were described as from the devil by our ancestors, and I believe it is purely from poor knowledge and ignorance about them. Today unlike many years ago there are books, Google, wikipedia and many other sources to ;earn from. As Namibia is a semi arid country, and home to many animals that adapted to the dry conditions, it is also home to some of the most venomous spiders, scorpions and snakes. One such place one can call a safe haven and breeding ground for serpents is Rehoboth about 80 kilometers south of the capitol Windhoek. There I met an old friend from the late 70's early 80's, Mario Guterres who by default fell in love with this creatures and is permanent on stand by as the residents ( of whom most are scared of snakes ) call Mario to catch the animal. Mario under no circumstances kill any animal, he will keep them in cages until he has time to go back into the field where he release them, where they belong in the field.

Mario on his turn try to study snakes, while at the same time keeping record of all the

snakes caught in his area.

Mario introduced a python to me,
however the snake was not to comfortable
with me.

The one that everyone fears. Zebra snake.
this one stayed in his glass cage due it's
aggressiveness. there is no anti venom, and
spits accurate. can grow up to 1.5 meters, and
you will find Mr. Zebra in the Namib desert,
Karroo regions, central Namibia and
as far north as southern Angola.

Say Hi to the Mole Snake. Can grow up to two
meters. a Beautiful animal,

Hmmmmm brunch time. Mario hand feeds this "Koperkapel"
or known as the Cape Cobra. Although aggressive and
will attack when under threat, this one was very comfortable
with us, and even allowed us to hand feed us.