On the 17th of April, I presented an afternoon snake talk for high school learners of Nombulelo Highschool, at their school, on the outskirts of Grahamstown. The talk, which comprised of both a PowerPoint presentation and a live snake demonstration, was a great opportunity to engage with the students about reptiles, and dispel some of the myths that surround snakes in the area.

The PowerPoint presentation was challenging because of the language barrier that existed between myself and the learners, and although some of the facts were ‘lost in translation’, the hands on experience with the live snakes more than made up for it, with many kids handling a snake for the first time. Although not all the learners warmed up to the idea of ‘harmless snakes’, it was great to see that most were very willing to challenge themselves and furthermore, open themselves up to the idea of snakes as a necessary and important part of the ecosystem.

At the end of the talk, many of the learners requested that I came back, so that I could show them more of the awesome snakes that can be found in Grahamstown.  I look for to my next talk at Nombulelo Highschool.