This one day course is designed to educate people about snakes, their behaviour, defence mechanisms and how to identity the type of snake one may come accross. Whether you have an undying love for snakes or a phobia, this course will change your perception of these shy and beautiful reptiles.

Snakes have a long, legless, flexible body that is covered with dry scales. When snakes move about on land, they usually slide on their belly. Snake's eyes are covered by clear scales rather than movable eyelids; therefore, their eyes are always open. They repeatedly flick out their narrow, forked tongue, using it to bring odors to a special sense organ in the mouth.
 
Snakes belong to the order of animals called reptiles. This group also include crocodiles, lizards, and turtles. As with the other reptiles, snakes maintain a fairly steady body temperature by their behavior. They raise their temperature by lying in the sun or lower it by crawling into the shade.
 
There are about 2,400 species of snakes in the world. They live almost everywhere, in deserts, forests, oceans, streams, and lakes. Some are ground dwellers, others live in trees, and other snakes spend most of their lives in water. There are a few areas where snakes do not live. They cannot survive in places where the ground stays frozen the year around, so they are missing in the polar regions or at high mountain elevations. Several islands, including Ireland and New Zealand, do not have snakes.Southern Africa has 130 sepcies of snakes, of which 34 are venemous and 14 are known to have caused human death. identifying and handling a snake in the home, in your business and in the bush is a possibility in anyones lives. Handling the situation with confidence and safety is of the utmost importance in each situation.
 
These snake courses are presented to the general public, outdoors people, field guides, farmers, snake keepers, doctors, vets, mining companies, developers, etc. In short, anybody that may come in contact with snakes or snakebite will benefit from these courses.

The courses are FGASA (Field Guides Association of Southern Africa) approved as specialist courses. Those that pass will receive a certificate with the FGASA emblem on it. The Snake ID and Snakebite Treatment course is also registered with the WITS CPD Office and medical doctors that pass the test can claim 5 CPD points (Continued Professional Development).

Snake Identification & Snakebite Treatment and Venomous Snake Handling Course overview

Identification of the dangerous and medical important snakes.
Symptoms and syndromes of snakebite.
First Aid
Medical Treatment.
Allergies and treatment.

About your Instructor - Mike Perry

Mike Perry researched and compiled these courses after a number of people approached him for information and his professional advice on snakebite and the handling of snakes. He have been catching snakes since 1965 and works professionally with venomous snakes as he extract venom for anti-venom production & keeps about 500 snakes for this purpose alone.

Duration: 1 day, includes lunch; tea/coffee and cordials.
Minimum pax: 1; Maximum pax: 10                                                                                                                         Cost: Please contact us for course rate.
Venue: Fourways, Johannesburg, Gauteng

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