Gauteng Smallholder December 2015-January 2016 | Page 10

MAILBAG

A snake catcher made from scrap

S

ir ~ Firstly, what an
amazing magazine. Well
done for all your hard
work. Great and informative.
Thank you.
I've lived on a farm in the
Rhenosterspruit Conservancy,
Hennops area for eleven

years now and in summer the
snakes are radical. From
Mozambican cobras, adders,
pythons and everything in
between, to earthworms:
we've got 'em all. As we
prefer not to kill the snakes
but rather to co-exist, my
buddy, owner of the farm,
invented this novel snake
catcher.
It's a piece of square galvanised gutter, 1.5m long,
covered in bubble wrap with
packaging tape, with a used
chick food bag taped to the
gutter.
It works every time. Place it

Snake-catching tube made from
guttering and bubblewrap and bag

next to the wall close to the
really works. Try it!
snake. Snakes generally move Genius is simplicity.
away to the wall. Some
Hilton
directing with a softish
Rhenosterspruit
kitchen broom might be
By email
needed, while talking to the
snake telling it
your intention
and, presto! The
snake goes into
gutter tunnel.
Viewing it
through the
bubble wrap, lift
the gutter from
the entrance
end and you
have your snake
in the bag.
We then tie the
bag with cord,
put it in a 25l
bucket with lid,
cord squashed
closed, hanging
out for release
elsewhere.
Cool hey? It
Position the tube alongside a wall for best effect

8
www.sasmallholder.co.za