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And strangely you have wayyyy more wildlife there than suburban Johannesburg too. Never saw one wild animal you seem to have deer, foxes, bears!, skunks raccoons etc. And doubting myself I asked my 73 year old father who lived all over Africa for 60 years and he saw 1 snake on a golf course. I bet 60 year olds there will report far more sightings.
And strangely you have wayyyy more wildlife there than suburban Johannesburg too. Never saw one wild animal you seem to have deer, foxes, bears!, skunks raccoons etc. And doubting myself I asked my 73 year old father who lived all over Africa for 60 years and he saw 1 snake on a golf course. I bet 60 year olds there will report far more sightings.
He's from Johannesburg (I'm sure that that can mean a huge area, I don't know him or SA that well) but my point is, that in asking about it, you get far more responses from people that actually do run into them, and people realize where they might have seen one, once.
I moved here from Minnesota, one of the least snakey places in the US (too cold.) I did see a rattlesnake once when I was fly fishing in Minnesota. If someone were to ask about snakes there, I would be the first to pipe up about seeing a venomous rattlesnake.
My point is that in worrying and asking about it, you are pandering to confirmation bias. If I ask "is it safe to go to the West Ham/Chelsea football match?" I am bound to get a response that raises a different reaction than "I'm really worried about the violence from Hooligans at the West Ham/Chelsea football match, how bad is it?" If I ask "Is it safe to vaccinate my kids?" I am going to get a different response and have a different reaction than "What are the major side effects of vaccination?"
My point is that unless you are out bushwhacking, you aren't going to really deal with them, especially if you don't live in the woods but rather an established neighborhood, and mow the lawn, etc...
Truly, I don't mean to belittle your phobia of snakes; I am empathetic to the anxiety it obviously causes you. But focusing and obsessing on it isn't doing you any favors, but rather making a mountain out of a molehill. I spend a lot of time outdoors. I only ever see snakes when I am truly out in the woods away from civilization hunting or fishing. Walking around, doing work in my landlady's overgrown semi maintained lawn, hiking and walking established trails, I don't see them. But if you ask, people will have their stories for you.
I hope you are right! I'll be sure to come back and let you know if my yard is overrun with copperheads!
Or, another way of looking at it, would this be one of the most popular places in the country for relocating and people with families, if there was a snake problem?
I'd say most people prob don't love finding snakes but accept it/get over it. I don't know if I can reach that level when I have to whizz past the photos in this thread lol. I know it's ridiculous and I can almost laugh at myself but don't really know what I'll do if/when it happens
I'd say most people prob don't love finding snakes but accept it/get over it. I don't know if I can reach that level when I have to whizz past the photos in this thread lol. I know it's ridiculous and I can almost laugh at myself but don't really know what I'll do if/when it happens
Your fear is not ridiculous. Lots of us have a visceral, revolting reaction to snakes. Keep in mind, if its unique enough that people take pictures of them, how common could they be, really?
I'd say most people prob don't love finding snakes but accept it/get over it. I don't know if I can reach that level when I have to whizz past the photos in this thread lol. I know it's ridiculous and I can almost laugh at myself but don't really know what I'll do if/when it happens
There aren't that many snakes here in the suburbs. The smaller your lot and the lower the number of trees, the less likely you'll see one. That said, we have been in our new house just over a year and we saw a snake beside the curb last summer while headed toward the sidewalk one evening to take a walk. It was a very small snake, and it was just a black snake. No biggie.
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Wife was going out to the garage yesterday evening, and saw a snake. Garage doors had been open all day, as we were outside doing yard work most of the afternoon. He eluded my efforts to chase him back out onto the driveway, and managed to get under the refrigerator. I blocked one side, and tried to "shoo" him out the other side to no avail. Spent well over an hour trying to find him. Took lower back panel off fridge off to look inside by the mechanicals, etc. He must have escaped when I had my back turned. I searched all over the garage for him. I poured some powder on the floor around the fridge last night before I went to bed. This AM, there were no signs of him passing through the powder. I've moved everything in the garage, even got a lot of much needed cleaning done out there today, but no sign of the snake. He either hid VERY well, or left last night!
* I'm pretty sure it was a rat snake. Family still doesn't want to go into the garage!
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