Frightening visitor to our garden at 4:00 am!!!…What do we do now?…Earlier, a wonderful sighting…

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It started as an ordinary night. We enjoyed time on the veranda during the day and into the evening. After dark, when the bugs came out, we went inside to watch the final episode of season 4, Yellowstone, and another hilarious episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

During the evenings, when we are inside the house, Tom frequently checks the garden to see if we have any visitors. Last night, around 8:00 pm, 2000 hrs, he told me to hurry and come look out the veranda screen door. Our favorite porcupine, with fully extended quills, was not only in our garden but also came up onto the veranda checking out Frank’s leftover bird seeds.

It was the best sighting we had of this exciting and unusual animal. We were hoping they would pass in front of the camera, but unfortunately, no such luck. There was no way we could have used our camera to take a photo since the sound of opening the door would have easily scared the porcupine away.

Since we’ve had the camera set up, we’ve been able to see her in photos in the garden at night, although they were often too far from the camera for a clear shot. Last night would have been perfect if only once she passed in front of the trail cam. But, we were nonetheless thrilled to see it and will continue to watch for another sighting.

Then, off to bed, and by midnight we were both sound asleep. Once, during the night, we were awakened by Tom’s phone ringing. He’d forgotten to turn on the “Do Not Disturb” button before he went to sleep. It was a call about renewing our car warranty. We don’t own a car. Robocall. Disgusting.

Tom drifted off right away while it took me over an hour to return to sleep. When I get startled by a sound during the night, I always have trouble falling back to sleep which I’ve read is due to the release of cortisol and adrenaline, hormones that are released to a “fight or flight” response. Tom doesn’t seem to have the same reaction.

This morning, as usual, Tom was up and out on the veranda before me. He always takes the data card out of the camera and reviews the night’s photos. Today, he was particularly enthused to see the images, hoping we’d have photos showing the porcupine. Alas, there wasn’t a single photo of the porcupine, much to our disappointment.

There have been many burglaries in Marloth Park, often at gunpoint in the middle of the night, and this concerns us. However, there were only three photos from the trail cam…a man in our garden at 3:58 am, as shown in today’s photos!!! Why was this man in our garden so secluded, requiring a walk through dense bush to access?

Immediately upon seeing the photos, Tom showed them to me. I contacted Louise, sending her the three images. She has contacted Field Security, and they’ll be coming out today to talk to us. We will ask them to come by our house several times during the night. Doing so may not ensure they’d catch this man, but at least, if he’s here again, he could be deterred by their presence.

Yes, our house is fully protected by an alarm system with bars on windows, including the screen door to the veranda. We keep the alarm button on the key fob in our possession at all times, including beside the bed at night. In any case, this is still worrisome, and we will feel a little relieved after we’ve spoken to Field Security.

Several of our friends have experienced break-ins over the years. Although there are guards at the entrance gates, anyone can enter Marloth Park since it is a public municipality. The guards at the gates’ job are to ensure that no animals are coming into the park or heading out of the park in the boot of a car.

When we came to South Africa in 2013, we were aware of the high rates of crime in some areas, as is the case, and in our own US and many other cities throughout the world. But, we thought living in the remote bush might offer some security. Over the years we’ve spent here in Marloth Park, we’ve heard many stories of burglaries occurring during the night. Some include guns and, in the case of one couple of our friends, being tied up while the burglary occurred.

That’s the news for today, folks. We will get back to you when we know more.

Be well.

                                         Photo from one year ago, January 4, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #285. The colorful temples in Chennai were breathtaking to see. “Kapaleeshwarar Temple: Dedicated to one of the forms of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati that is Arulmigu Kapleeswar and Karpagambal respectively, the temple should be on the top position of your list of temples to visit.” For more photos, please click here.

Part 2…Yikes…We attended a full-day venomous snake handling course…Scary, but highly educational…

 Black Mambas are only black inside their mouths, not on their sleek skin. They are considered one of the most venomous and dangerous fast-moving snakes in the world. Tom handled one of these, as shown below.  No, thanks for me! Chris, our instructor, held the Black Mamba as we took this photo.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

During yesterday’s drive through Marloth Park searching for photo ops, we spotted this Hornbill, one of our favorite birds in the area. 

There are a known 184 species of snakes in South Africa. In years past, 151 species had been identified, but now, additional species have been discovered with the use of DNA.

Not all snakes are venomous. As for this area, referred to as the “Lowveld,” 60% of those species are found. The Lowveld is described as follows from this site: The Lowveld is the name given to two areas that lie at an elevation of between 500 and 2,000 feet (150 and 600 meters) above sea level. One area is in the South African provinces of Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Swaziland, and the other is in southeastern Zimbabwe. Both are underlain largely by the soft sediments and basaltic lavas of the Karoo System and loose gravels. They have been extensively intruded by granites. Other resistant metamorphic rocks also occur; these commonly appear as low ridges or what seem to be archipelagoes of island mountains. The higher western margins of both areas testify to the degree of erosion resulting from the flow of rivers running east or southeast.”

Tom was using the grabbers to grasp the highly venomous Snouted Cobra.

In South Africa, you have a greater chance of being struck by lightning than being bitten by a snake. Annually, between 24 and 37 out of 100,000 population are bitten by snakes. Nearly all bites are on the extremities. The mortality rate is between 1% and 2%, resulting in an approximate 98% survival rate.

With these statistics, it’s evident the likelihood of dying from a snake bite is rare. However, in most cases, bites occur by accident (stepping on a snake), a surprise encounter while hiking, walking on one’s property, and other chance encounters. 

 Tom was bending over to grasp the tail of the Snouted Cobra, keeping the head down in the grass, to place the snake in the container.

Many snake bites could be prevented by the proper response when they are discovered. First off, snakes have no ears resulting in total deafness.  Instead, they respond keenly to vibrations. That fact is why we’ve always heard when one has a close encounter with a snake, DON’T MOVE…STAND COMPLETELY STILL! That still holds today.

What would determine a close encounter? It may be different for many snakes, depending on their striking distance. To be safe, if a snake is found within your immediate space, don’t try to guess its striking distance. Instead, STAND PERFECTLY STILL and wait for it to slither away. 

When “capturing” the Black Mamba, it is imperative to immobilize the head close to the ground and raise the tail. Tom managed to do this while it was desperately attempting to escape.  The Black Mamba is the fastest snake on the planet.

If a snake doesn’t sense ANY vibration,  generally, it will move away. If a snake is in another room or a distant area, get away as quickly as possible, securing your space in a closed place where it can’t enter. Chris explained, “Don’t bother to stand still if the snake is in the living room and you are in the kitchen!  Just get away as quickly as possible away from the direction the snake is moving.

If a person resides in an area with many snakes, it’s wise to have an emergency number available to have the snake removed from inside your property. If it’s in your yard or another outdoor area, it will move on…steer clear in the interim.


In Marloth Park, we can call Snake Removal at the following numbers: John Webb, 079 778 5359 or 071 480 6453 or Daniel Louw, 082 574 0186 or Field Security at 082 828 1043.

After over 16 years of snake handling experience, Chris didn’t hesitate to handle the deadly Black Mamba.

In the event of a snake bite, there are several vital steps to consider:

1. Immediately call Field Security at 082 828 1043 to arrange for the quickest means of transportation to a medical facility with anti-venom, which may be by ambulance or helicopter. Also, if no response call, Securicor Lowveld at 082 567 2350 or 086 111 1728.
2.  Don’t attempt to “catch” or take a photo of the snake. This could result in being a bit additionally.  Immediate medical care is more important than the type of snake. 
3.  Don’t drive yourself or have others drive you to a medical facility. Typically, trained emergency response staff has means of treating your symptoms en route to an appropriate hospital which ultimately can keep you alive until you arrive. (continued below photo)

Through years of training and experience, Chris can only handle this dangerous snake with such skill.

4.  Do not “cut and suck” the bite wound. This has been proven to be ineffective.
5.  Don’t panic – Although it is impossible to stay emotionally calm, one must attempt to stay physically calm.  The more the bite victim moves about, the faster the venom moves throughout their bloodstream.
6.  There’s no benefit to using heat or ice.
7.  Do not use a tourniquet unless you are three or four hours from medical care, and then it’s done so as a last resort.

A Black Mamba doesn’t have black skin as most assume.  Only the interior of its mouth is pitch black.

There are two types of anti-venom used in South Africa today:

  • Polyvalent contains antibodies of several kinds of snakes and is effective for most venomous snake bites.
  • Monovalent, which contains antibodies for only one type of snake in South Africa – the Boomslang.
Chris and Tom were all smiles with the Black Mamba. I’m glad my job was to take photos and not handle the snakes, although I took the classroom course and the test. 

Often, once the patient is in the hospital, the medical staff will immediately start various life-extending procedures while they wait to determine if anti-venom is necessary. A small percentage of patients are allergic to the anti-venom, which may result in severe anaphylaxis, which can be more deadly than the snake venom itself and may lead to death.

A the end of the course, around 4:00 om, the Black Mamba was elongated while Chris held its mouth in place.

It’s easy to become terrified when reading this information, but in areas where snake bites are a possibility for all of us. As laypersons, we cannot guarantee that all of the information provided today and yesterday would ensure safety from venomous snake bites. 

Please seek further information or attempt to educate yourself to the best of your ability by attending a course such as we’ve presented over these past few days or other resources that may be available in your area. For the Lowveld, contact Lowveld Venom Suppliers at 082 372 3350, email at reptile@mweb.co.za, or their website: http://www.lowveldvs.co.za.

Marloth Park Honorary Ranger Sandra took a Facebook “live” video during the “hands-on” portion of the course.

Our special thanks to Chris and his staff and Marloth Park Honorary Ranger Sandra. They facilitated an extraordinary experience we’ll never forget and have been excited to share with our worldwide readers.

In October 2013 in Kenya,  Tom handled several non-venomous snakes which may b found here.

In the event you missed yesterday’s Part 1 of this story, please click here.

Have a safe and bountiful day!

Photo from one year ago today, March 13, 2018:

Bob, our fantastic landlord, and a new friend came running to tell us the Kookarburros were on his veranda. We couldn’t believe our eyes for this up-close view of these vast, beautiful birds. Within a week, they were coming to visit us, eating ground beef out of my hand. For more photos as we settled into Fairlight, Australia, please click here.

Part 1…Yikes…We attended a full-day venomous snake handling course…Scary, but highly educational…

Puff Adders are commonly seen in Marloth Park.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

On Saturday morning, before leaving for the full-day Venomous Snake Capture and Handling Course, we had a total of 22 visitors in the yard, including 13 kudus, six warthogs, and three bushbucks. To be on time for our classes, we had to leave while they were still there.

On Saturday, we headed to the Marloth Park Municipality Offices boardroom at Henk van Rooyen Park to attend the Venomous Snake Capture and Handling Course offered by a highly qualified and experienced snake handler, Chris Hobkirk of Lowveld Venom Supplier and his staff.

This is an example of a nonvenomous snake mimicking the venomous Puff Adder. It is a baby Rhombic (common ) Egg Eater, harmless, not a Puff Adder. 

The event was beautifully orchestrated by Marloth Park Honorary Ranger Sandra Miler Dill-Franzen, who coincidentally lives two doors down the road from us. A few days earlier, we’d dropped off payment for our participation in the course at the cost of ZAR 950 (US $80.55) per person. There were a total of 18 trainees.

When placing a snake into a container, the container must include newspaper or some scraps that may prevent the snake from “jumping out.” When they see they have a place to hide, they may be more cooperative.

Why did we choose to take this course?  We weren’t necessarily considering becoming officially certified volunteer snake handlers who take calls to remove snakes from resident’s homes. 

Chris is an excellent presenter both in content and in interspersing humor to keep the audience engaged. The five hours we spent in the classroom learning the information and taking a test (no results yet) flew by. With my short attention span, I was pleasantly surprised by the easy flow of the exciting information.

However, based on our long-term stay in Africa, we felt such an education would prove to be highly beneficial if we encountered snakes while we’re on the continent.

Chris showed this slide as an illustration that there are countless varieties of venom.

Four years ago, while in Marloth Park for three months, we had a face-to-face encounter with a venomous Mozambique Spitting Cobra, as shown in this post.

Chris’s company, Lowveld Venom Suppliers, is involved in many aspects of snake handling, including milking the venom to manufacture antivenom.

After attending this vital course, we realize we handled that snake encounter on the veranda in a dangerous manner, mainly me, who bent down to take photos, not realizing it was a spitting snake. Whew! We sure dodged a bullet!  Lesson learned!

Bottled water, snacks, and lunch were provided throughout the day.  Since I had prepared a meal for our dinner that night, we chose not to eat anything.

That doesn’t mean we can’t take photos of snakes that “visit,” but at least now we know how to identify them. We would have proceeded with considerably more caution had we known. Knowledge is everything, as we all well know.

I was one of only two females in the classroom.

One of the most frightening aspects for most tourists coming to Africa is their fear of snakes and insects. We both have a fear of insects under control and can identify many venomous insects we may encounter. The goal here in Africa is not to kill insects, which play a vital role in the ecosystem.

As usual, Tom read every word of the “hold harmless” agreement we both had to sign to participate in the course.

On the other hand, Snakes may terrify visitors to the point they won’t hesitate to drive over them on the road or… kill them when found in or near their holiday homes. This human behavior can result in loss of life if handled carelessly or incorrectly.

Tom, preparing to capture a Puff Adder, one of the most dangerous snakes in Africa.“The Puff Adder (Bitis arietans) is a venomous viper snake species found in African savannah and grasslands. The species is probably the most widespread snake on the continent. When disturbed, the snake will coil into a defensive S-shaped posture and hiss loudly, hence its common name “Puff adder.” This is used as a warning signal. It’s best not to ignore it. You don’t want to find out why. “

Snakes, like all other creatures in the wild, play a valuable role in nature, and regardless of their ability to protect themselves using their deadly toxins in the process, this excellent course opened our eyes to understand that snakes are not intentionally seeking to bite humans, a misconception many may possess.

Although Puff Adders have a reputation for moving slowly, generally, they won’t bite unless agitated, as is the case with most venomous snakes.  Often people are bitten from accidentally stepping on them or encountering them unexpectedly, pr foolishly trying to handle them without proper knowledge.

In Chris’s detailed classroom course, which kept us inside in air-conditioned comfort until 2:00 pm (with periodic breaks and an included lunch), we learned more about snakes than we ever imagined possible in one day. The snake-handling portion of the course was conducted outdoors on the grounds from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. 

Chris was handling another highly venomous snake, the Boomslang.  Males are green, and females are brown.  However, it’s nearly impossible to determine the sex of most other snakes when both genders are typically identical in appearance. “The Boomslang (Dispholidus typus) is a hazardous, venomous snake species found in sub-Saharan Africa in the central and southern regions of the continent. However, they are found here in South Africa as well. The boomslang is most abundant in Botswana, Swaziland, Namibia, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. Still, the species has been reported as far north as southern Chad and Nigeria and east as eastern Guinea.” Not only did we learn about the anatomy of a variety of snakes, we learned about the various types of toxins, which include: neurotoxic – nerve acting venom; cytotoxic – cell destroying poison; haemotoxic – blood working venom.
Tom and Jim stood contemplated their subsequent “capture.”  To the far right is our new friend Pat overseeing a voter registration booth in the background.

Any bites from venomous snakes (or sprays from spitting cobras) may be deadly, especially without immediate medical care. Chris explained that recently, a victim of a black mamba snake bite was dead in five minutes. However, many have survived with medical care initiated within 30 minutes of the bite.

Chris shared a first-hand story when years ago, he was bitten by a Jameson’s Mamba and lived to share the story after utilizing his fast thinking and diverse knowledge to steer him in the direction of a successful recovery coupled with exceptional medical care. But, this isn’t always the case.

All of these bins contained crumpled newspapers and were clearly labeled as to the type of snake.  The first two he showed us were not venomous, but one must assume all snakes are venomous. Clever snakes! Some non-venomous snakes will “imitate” venomous snakes in appearance and behavior in an attempt to ward off predators.

Are we less fearful of snakes after the course?  In some ways, yes, especially in realizing snakes generally are afraid of us and want to be left alone. More on this in tomorrow’s post, including what we learned to do in the event of encountering a venomous snake and when being bitten, much of which is entirely different than many of us may have assumed. 

We’ll share the various types of antivenom and their potential effects, both good and bad. Plus, we have a shocking video we made of a black mamba!  Please check back!

German proverb: “Look before you leap, for snakes among sweet flowers do creep.”

Photo from one year ago today, March 12, 2017:

View of Sydney from the ship on disembarkation day. We were headed to drop off our bags and head to immigration to deal with our “illegal” status.  For more, please click here.

Tom’s second biggest scare of his life?…In his own words…Three days and counting…

This buffalo was not happy to see him. Tom used no zoom to capture this photo when suddenly this monstrous agitated animal approached him.

“Sightings on the Beach in Bali”

Hauling a heavy load of vegetation on the beach.

Up until yesterday morning the most frightening experience of Tom’s life occurred while we were sitting on the veranda in Marloth Park, South Africa and he spotted a Mozambique Spitting Cobra next to his bare foot. Here’s the link with photos to that story.

His second most frightening experience since that event in South Africa occurred late yesterday morning when he decided to take a walk in the neighborhood to check out the main road currently under construction which lead to the villas. We’ve walked that road many times and he was curious to see how it was coming along.

This is the beginning of the paver road under construction at this time.

I was busy attempting to get a good enough signal to upload the post and suggested he go without me. He grabbed the camera expecting to return within an hour. I never gave it a thought.

Thirty minutes later he returned, sweaty and flushed. “You won’t believe what happened,” he said, his voice more intense than usual.

Several workers were involved in the project to pave the road.

“What?” I asked with the utmost of concern while quickly scanning his body up and down for any possible injuries. In a flash of 10 seconds, I wondered if he’d fallen, although he’s as surefooted as anyone I know.

This is the grassy path Tom took in search of photos, never realizing what lie ahead.

Here are his words as to what transpired on the walk:

“The road construction is a 20 day project using pavers/cobblestones. While the work is being done cars have to drive on a small grassy trail (as shown above) to get to the highway.  

On Monday, when I went with Gede to the ATM, he drove on this path (not really a road) which is used by motorbikes and walking the buffalo down to the beach and the river located near us.

This buffalo snorted and stomped his feet ready to charge.

After taking photos of the road construction, I decided to walk the secondary path to take photos of the cows and buffaloes I’d seen on Monday when I rode in the van with Gede.

As I walked down the path, I noticed two male buffaloes laying down on the backside of a property. I was walking on the grassy path about 10 meters, 33 feet, from the buffaloes when they first saw me.

This is the second buffalo who considered getting into the action. A cow is behind him seeming totally uninterested in what was transpiring.

One buffalo appearing agitated, immediately standing and snorting. He was only standing on  three legs since the rope he was tied to was caught and wrapped around his left rear leg. 

Being tangled and seeing me simultaneously obviously added to his agitation. I stopped dead in my tracks unsure of how secure his thin rope really was and what it was secured to. My first thought was that he was getting ready to charge me. This all transpired in a matter of seconds.

He untangled his fourth leg and aggressively began to approach me. I started walking backwards, keeping my eyes on him the entire time. Adrenalin kicked in as my heart started racing and I was sweating profusely.

Cows were contained in this roughshod enclosures.

My eyes scanned the area looking for a safe place to retreat in case he got loose. At this same time the second buffalo, about 30 meters, 98 feet away, stood and approached using all the slack he had available in his rope.

At this point, I slowly backed up out of sight from the buffaloes still checking for a safe exit strategy if either of them charged. At the same time, I was thinking to myself, “I’m glad I’m by myself and Jess isn’t here!” This way, I was only concerned for my own safety instead of worrying about her safety too.

Finally, I was out of sight of the buffaloes with vegetation blocking our view of one another. Then, I decided to carefully approach in order to take these photos. I sound like Jess who takes every precarious situation and turns it into a photo op!

Cows often look to see who’s passing by but seldom show signs of aggression. 

Originally, my plan was to walk the entire length of the grassy path and return the same way. So far, I was only one quarter of my way down the path but decided I didn’t want to take the risk of passing the agitated buffaloes again, especially when at one point, I’d end up between them on the path, not a good place to be.

I cut the walk short, retracing my steps back down the path constantly looking over my shoulder to make sure the buffaloes weren’t following me, all the while thinking how grateful I was to escape and that Jess wasn’t with me.

Finally, Tom had returned to the entrance to the villas and the beginning point of the road under construction. He’s was relieved and grateful to have avoided injury.

As I breathlessly told Jess the story, she asked, “Which situation scared you the most, the cobra in South Africa or the two buffaloes in Bali?” I had to think about it. In both cases we were in remote areas far from emergency medical care. These thoughts entered my mind. 

Both situations were equally frightening. But, with the buffaloes I was only fearful for my own safety and didn’t have to worry about Jess. So, for that reason, the cobra was scarier and the buffaloes are a close second.” 

As Tom told me the story, my own heart was racing over the thoughts tumbling through my mind over what could have happened.  Once again, “safari luck” kicked in and much to my surprise…he still got the photos!

Photo from one year ago today, June 24, 2015:

In Trinity Beach, Australia I stepped out of the car to take this shot. Tom reminded me that passengers on the ship had told him that the ocean is murky at most beaches in Australia, as opposed to the clear crisp blue waters of Hawaii and other islands. Here’s an article about the murky waters surrounding the Great Barrier Reef.  For more details, please click here.