For a Healthy iSimangaliso Wetland Park, Just Add Adders
26 gaboon adders have been successfully released into the iSimangaliso Wetland Park on the coast about 300 kilometres north of Durban. The snakes were reared at the nearby St Lucia Crocodile and Education Centre, and are important to the health of the whole ecosystem.
Johan Marais, herpetologist and author of a number of books about snakes, told Tony Carnie a bit more about the species for an article featured in The Mercury.
Marais explained that although the venom of a gaboon adder is potentially deadly, bites are next to “unheard of, except among snake handlers”:
“The bite is not unlike that of a puff adder – potently cytotoxic causing massive swelling, pain and blistering that may result in necrosis and severe tissue damage.
“But even the puff adder accounts for few deaths, as victims usually have enough time to get to a hospital and treatment. Gaboon adders are not often encountered, very well camouflaged and fortunately reluctant to bite. They will hiss loudly to scare you off.”
Book details
- Snakes and Snakebite in Southern Africa by Johan Marais
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EAN: 9781775840237
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- Slange and Slangbyt in Suider-Afrika by Johan Marais
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EAN: 9781775840244
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- A Complete Guide to the Snakes of Southern Africa by Johan Marais
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EAN: 9781868729326
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- ‘n Volledige Gids tot die Slange van Suider-Afrika by Johan Marais
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EAN: 9781868729333
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