Reports of snake sightings are slithering in thick and fast. Two in Dad's garden, two on the path down at the bay, multiple sightings in the Reserve and now, on a fairly cool day, not what I would call 'snakey', my friend nearly steps on a puffadder in her garden, barefoot and all. Perhaps the fires of February, which burned large tracts of veld, did more damage than we know in the form of destruction of habitat for the snakes' prey, and they have become less wary of human habitation, if they ever were anyway.
As a child we were taught to stamp out feet when walking in long grass or up on the mountain, to warn any reptile that might want to get out of our way, but the puffadder is not likely to move and would prefer you to step around it as it suns itself on a nice bit of pathway. No matter how much we might tolerate their presence and abhor any form of violence when it comes to snakes, it's still a frightening experience to come upon them unexpectedly and the adrenaline rush can enable us to make athletic leaps we never dreamed we were capable of!
In the same vein, the caraculs that live on the mountains above Kommetjie must also be having a lean time. One was seen down the road last night, and if I were the rooster next door, I would keep a very low profile and resist all temptation to crow before the sun is high in the sky!
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