Critter Walk: May 2018
On Saturday the 5th of May I hosted the second critter walk. The event was well received, with quite a few people coming on the day. The day started out with a short snake demonstration, in which I showcased some of the snakes I had captured the week before on callouts, and was followed by …
Keynote Speaker for WESSA Grahamstown AGM
On the 19th of April, I was the keynote speaker for the Wildlife and Environmental Society of South Africa (WESSA) Grahamstown AGM, that took place in Eden Grove lecture theatre, at Rhodes University. In the first part of my talk, I discussed the reptiles that could be found in and around Grahamstown, and how to …
Haarlem Snake Awareness Workshop
On the 26th of April, I ventured westwards to Haarlem, on the Eastern border of the Western Cape, for a snake awareness talk. The snake awareness workshop, that was set up by Matthew Sephton of Living Lands, was attended by Honeybush tea farmers working in the Langkloof area. These tea farmers often encounter snakes while …
Death-shamming in the Rinkhals
Death-shamming, death-feigning, playing dead, and thanatosis are all words that describe the process whereby animals pretend to be dead in the hope of being left alone by a perceived threat. When encountered, the Rinkhals (Hemachatus haemechatus) will often take every opportunity to escape. When cornered they will lift nearly half of their body off the …
