How Snakes are Key to our Environment

A common human fear is the fear of snakes. However one Namibian is trying to squash this fear and earn snakes a place of respect for the role they play in our ecosystem. Snakes are keystone species, which means they play a critical role in the balance of our ecosystem. Meaning without snakes, other systems in our environment would be at risk. Snakes it turns out, are also a direct indicator of the health and biodiversity of the environment. For these and many more reasons a group of passionate Namibians, led by one passionate Namibian by the name of Francois Theart, are giving of their time and resources to relocate snakes that wander into urban areas and to educate Namibians on the important role snakes play.

99FM’s MYD Earth sat down with Francois Theart, to find out about Namibian snakes and what to do if you should encounter one. This becomes especially important information considering that in times of drought snakes sometimes venture into urban areas in search of food.

For Francois’s contact details and a list of snake catchers around Namibia, see below.

In the MYD Earth show, Francois shares with us on what to do if you spot a snake so that you are more likely to ensure you walk away unharmed.

Here are some of the areas this episode of MYD Earth covered :

• How to protect your home against snakes and what does not work to repel snakes
• The numbers of snakes Francois has caught in Windhoek this season
• Interesting facts about the biology of snakes

Take a listen to the MYD Earth show with Francois Theart from Snakes of Namibia, here :

https://soundcloud.com/99fm/myd-earth-snakes

Here is the Travel News Namibia compiled list of snake catchers around Namibia.

If you encounter snakes in your area that you would like to have removed, please phone the following people:

Windhoek
Francois Theart 081 290 0343
Mike Bottger       081 129 7304

Otjiwarongo
Brendon Barnard 081 219 4873
Ethne Engelkind   085 297 7334
Bennie Hollander 081 628 4527
Victor Shituleni     081 272 0384

Tsumeb
Westley Price 081 128 3307

Rehoboth
Mario Guterres 085 288 8846

Grootfontein
De Wet Horn 085 634 4183

Katima Mulilo
Curt-Ingo Sagell 081 129 2811

Coast
Simon McGowan   081 233 9242
William McGowan 081 890 4841

Karibib/Usakos 
Antoinette Heath 081 346 1107