Poisonous Snakes
found in the veld
in Cape Town

Puff adder blending in with its surroundings

The most common are the poisonous snakes which abound in the veld and on our mountains. Although there are a number of poisonous snakes the two you are most likely to encounter are the puff adder and the Cape cobra. We will deal with the puff adder first as it is the snake that is most likely to bite you if you come across it in the veld.

The puff adder is a large sluggish, thick bodied snake and likes to lie in the sun and bake. It is distinctly patterned with chevrons and its colour varies from light yellow to brown to grey or even orange-brown with dark bands occuring on the tail. It normally grows to about 90 centimetres in length although you will sometimes come across larger specimens in the veld. As it relies on camouflage for protection it is not likely to move off when it hears someone approaching, so it is necessary for hikers to take some precautions when walking in the veld.

Other than the usual protections such as stout boots, long pants when walking in long grass, looking where you step and put your hands is a must. Puff adders like lying in the sun and any pathway through the bush could become their sunbed. Before stepping on what you might think is a branch lying in your way look carefully at the branch as it could just be a puff adder waiting to bite you should you step on it.

Other precautions such as not stepping over a log but onto it and then looking where you put your foot before you get off could prevent a nasty surprise. When rock climbing always check your handholds before putting your hands into them as they just might be the spot a puff adder has chosen to take an afternoon nap. Luckily for victims of puff adder bites the venom, which is potently cytotoxic, or cell destroying is slow acting and takes up to 24 hours without treatment to cause a fatality That fact must not be relied on to save your life as a bite is extremely dangerous and needs to be treated as soon as possible.

Emergency treatment in the veld should begin immediately after a bite has happened. As moving about causes the venom to spread the leg or arm which has been bitten should be immobilised immediately and the victim should be instructed to lie still and relax. You as the first aider should also remain calm and start the required emergency aid to treat a snake bite. Do not under any circumstances try and cut the bite open or suck out the venom as this only increases the movement of blood through the bite and causes the venom to spread further.

All you need to do is wrap the leg or arm tightly from the bite upwards towards the torso of the victim using either a crepe bandage or strips of cloth torn from a piece of clothing or something you have in your pack. When binding the leg or arm it is not necessary to remove the victims clothing as doing so will mean moving the affected limb. Once the limb has been bandaged the limb must be further immobilised and this you do by adding a splint to restrict further movement of the limb. The patient should then be removed to a hospital as soon as possible for proper treatment. Some people in the veld carry snake bite antidotes with them but if you are not a medical practitioner do not use them as they sometimes cause the patient to go into shock and die.

Fortunately, however, with a puff adder bite, there is no reason to panic as one has enough time to do the required first aid and get the patient to hospital before the venom takes effect.

Cape Cobra