Pockets full of bugs, stones, feathers, grasses and rescued birds are part of homesteading childhood. Snakes?! Snakes?!!!!! Give me a minute while I run up the mountainside screaming....
Where we live there is a lot of wild life. A lot. Of Wild life Among the magnificent animals and birds we see there are also the far more dangerous variety. Most we don't see. Many we do. I'm not easily rattled. But a snake? I. DON'T. LIKE.
In a decade we have yet to see leopard - or not. We have occasionally had Scorpions in our house - thankfully we always see them when they see us and not after! And then there are snakes. We've had far too many - and far too many close encounters - for my liking. We have among the most venomous in the world. The first two years while we were taming our new homestead we came scarily close to snakes: The lazy but deadly Puff Adder as well as the famous Cape Cobra. We also occasionally see a Boomslang but he is always safely sailing through the trees. The reason we have so many cats is twofold. Rats is one of them. Snakes is the other. Sadly we still lost one of our cats to a Cobra.
Dealing with the reality of snakes is part of homesteading life. Having small children we are extra cautious. Educating them about potential dangers in the country is more important than teaching them ABC. Before they could walk they knew that those slithering things were not to be touched! Although they have seen venomous snakes it has never been a close encounter - HalleluYah - and will never be. Then yesterday on our return home we met with a massive Cape Cobra.
He was nearly two metres in length, stretching across the dirt road. As we slowed to show the children he reared up, flairing his hoodie in anger at us. We were safe in the vehicle but it felt like he would chew through the metal to reach us. Relieved to get home we then tended our animals. Underneath one of the water bowls, blissfully curled up, was this beautiful snake. At the time neither I nor FarmerBuckaroo saw the beauty part. Just the snake. Without awaiting our instructions the children backed slowly away. And then our neighbour arrived.
He is a retired wildlife specialist. He spent most of his life working for the parks board in a game ranging and anti-poaching capacity. He knows his stuff! Happily for us he always comes to our rescue when we are overwhelmed by the Wild of the area. He nonchalantly reached down, cooing as if the snake was a little chicken. "A spotted Skaap Steeker! And he just shed his skin." He smiled. "Here you can hold him"; he said to the children "He's safe. Not venomous. Just be gentle!!!" While the fascinated Buckaroo Babies carefully held the beautiful snake they were given a brief lesson; "Old farmers wrongly named this little guy 'sheep stabber' because they often found them near a dead sheep that had been bitten by a snake - probably the Cape Cobra. But the Skaap Steeker has tiny teeth set far back in his jaw. His neurotoxic venom is so mild, that he's incapable of killing any large animal, only frogs or mice. Which he eats. They're really gentle natured and don't want to bite even when provoked. He's one of the few snakes in our area that you can handle. But! You NEVER pick up a snake unless you know it is safe!!"
After the impromtu homeschooling lesson, we took a walk to a safe and undisturbed rocky ledge and let the spotted Skaap Steeker go. I then reiterated that they were to NEVER pick up a snake because most of those in our area are venomous. And not friendly.
I loved this statement right here. Yes teaching ABC’s is important but a child knowing how to keep safe in the wild takes huge precedence.
😳😳😳 I’m not sure how I would react to seeing a venomous snake up close. It’s great you all have someone to talk to that knows these things and that can help you decipher which snakes are safe or not. That’s actually a pretty snake your little one is holding.
I appreciate learning from posts like these. So glad your family has remained safe all these years. Sorry you lost a cat to that Cobra.
I don't think we have any "safe" snakes in our state, so I think it's safe to say keep a distance from any we see...
My thought is to rather stay well clear. Sighting this little guy is so rare that it's the first time in a decade I saw a NON venomous snake. The dangerous ones are common. I must say I was not so thrilled about them handling this one because I don't want them to think it's normal
I've only seen a couple of snakes since we came to Aus, thankfully. We're in the suburbs, though, so not too surprising.
Hopefully they mostly retain their instinct to keep away from snakes. I would have the same concerns. I never wanted my girls to be overly freaked out by snakes, just make a calm retreat. They were a bit older than your little ones when we came here, though. They seemed to understand pretty well, in the wild leave it alone, but would pet one in a pet shop when they knew it was safe.
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Do you know what I liked about your post? that shows that snakes are not a threat and that they do not have to die every time we come across one!
Thank you! Yes. Exactly @hive-127788 . It is sad that a creature loses its life not because it is necessarily a threat but because the person does not understand it.
nice post we loved the info
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Just looking at your photos already gives me chills 😂😂
It still gives me chills and I know they are safe!
How a fascinating and scary at the same time! However, this little snake is truly adorable. Your life is definitely full of excitement, just make sure you sate safe.
Exactly my thoughts Lena! Fascinating but scary. His markings are beautiful but .... he's still a snake
Thank you @brumest and @qurator
Oh! A beautiful snake! I love the pattern on him, but, I'm with you. I am glad that your neighbor was able to help you with it and gave the buckaroo babies a life lesson.
The Cape Cobra! Wow! That would have been fascinating to watch, although very happy you were safely in your vehicle. Thanks for sharing this!
It was scarily beautiful!
Sounds like an adventure story! :))
I didn't mind snakes but my husband was raised in Florida where there are lots of poisonous snakes and was very afraid of snakes. In his decades up here in New England he got better, not jumping out of his skin if he saw one.
I don't blame him!
OMG. I’m with the group of people terrified of snakes…even a harmless one. We have no harmful ones here but that does help my terror of seeing one. Silly, I know but tell that to my phobia. LOL
I think my snake phobia was passed on from my mother who when she saw a snake would yell to run as if the devil himself had appeared.
Good you handled the harmless snake as it shows your children not all snakes are to be feared.
Phobia's are terrible thing. Irrational but a terrifying reality to those who have a fear of ...... You have my sympathy. I don't have a phobia of snakes but I definitely don't want them anywhere on my planet! Spiders, scorpions, wild animals no problem
It’s hard to get my head around , after all these years, still having the phobia. It is better for at one time I couldn’t even look at a photo of a snake.
I grew up on a farm and have no problem with other insects or animals either and try to remember, we as the highest life form, share the planet with them.
Exactly. It doesn't help that some of these animals are painted in such a terrible light.