The Brown Snake

Wisdom dictates that you should be afraid if snakes, or at least respect them by giving them a wide birth. Even after holding one in Australia and more at the Meserani Snake Park, I was still a little blasé – even when I saw a photo of a python swallowing a crocodile!

Mbise told me that one afternoon he had seen a very large python climbing the mango tree that stood above our potting hut, but I looked at him wide-eyed, still not freaked by the presence of snakes.

Occasionally small, thin, black snakes appeared among the plant pots; if Mbise saw them, he would chop them to a thousand pieces, if I found them, I would flick them into a bag and release them in scrublands. They were cocky though, sitting up waving slightly, ready to strike.

One evening, well after dark one of the secondary school teachers asked me to take his house girl to the hospital because she had been bitten by a snake five hours earlier. I castigated him on two levels, a snake bite should be attended to immediately, and it was not so safe driving after dark because of bandits. The bite was by one of those small black snakes and the girl turned out to be ok.

But the bugger was trying to avoid forking out money for treatment to a girl in his personal employ!

I was visiting Ngarenanyuki with a fish-farm educator and I sat in the Landrover while the guy spoke to a farmer. I spotted some small kids playing beside a small mud so to fill in time, I decided to have a chat to them. I had just taken half a dozen steps only to be stalled by a swish! A brown snake darted, straight as an arrow across a four metre gap between buildings. I thought snakes always ‘snake’ along! I wondered about the safety of those kids, but researched later that it was a non-venomous species.

But I knew then that I could never outrun a snake!

We had refurbished a water scheme at Mwakeny village and carried out a planting programme at the primary school so responded positively when the village government asked us to conduct an environmental programme targeted at the village farmers.

In the shade of a Jacaranda tree, the school kids [typically] set up a table and chairs for us – we had some comfort while the attendees were to sit on the ground.

I had noticed farmers burnt off the scrubby and weedy over burden before they cultivated in preparation to sowing their crops and I wanted to use this opportunity to encourage grazing rather than burning because it is better for the environment. This from a guy who in his forestry career burnt 200 ha per annum! I wanted to explain that animal effluent provides plant nutrition.

Our presentation team had performed before an audience of thirty odd men and women and I was giving my anti-burning dissertation when I noticed a large brown snake making its way down a track behind the audience, approaching them.

‘There is a snake approaching from behind you.’ I said casually, so as not to create alarm.

But it did!

First thing was that Mags had climbed to the top of the table! The women in the group scattered and the men with fimbos [traditional walking sticks] attacked it!

‘Kill it, Kill it!’ shouted Loti my co-worker.

‘It’s not venomous!’ Nobody listened to me, but I was sure it was the same as the one I identified at Ngarenanyuki.

‘It is not safe with the school so close.’ The chairman said, obviously someone had heard me!

Nobody had actually hit the snake and it darted into the security of a small patch scrub and long grass.

So what did the men do? They set fire to the scrub and grass! Out shot the snake and it was clubbed to death! Someone proudly held up the shattered body of a once beautiful piece of nature’s work that had been at the wrong place at the wrong time.

My body language must have shown my feelings because the village chairman gave me a weak smile!

It was pointless carrying on with the seminar because of the excitement the snake had generated.

It certainly pays to be wary of snakes, the father of an old friend of mine was spat at by a spitting cobra, the spit on human skin is harmless, but he copped in the face and the venom can cause permanent blindness! Mzee was fortunate, he received rapid treatment and the full force of the venom did not get into his eyes. However he was blind for a few days.

I still see the beauty of snakes, but now I’m really cautious.