Returning from game drive yesterday evening I noticed a snake lying in the road on my trackers side. Warning him of its presence, I stopped and then discovered that it was a Mozambique spitting cobra or Mfezi. These snakes occur widely in the northern parts of Southern Africa and as the name indicates can spit venom into eyes with amazing accuracy from about two metres away, if not washed out immediately this can lead to permanent blindness. The venom is mostly neurotoxic (nerve affecting) with some elements of cytotoxins (cell destroying) and is one of the few medically important snakes in this area, after some minutes the snake slid off towards the lodge dam where it no doubt would hunt for the myriad of frogs that appeared after the rain. Leaving it be we closed down soon after.
Sebastiaan Jansen van Vuuren
Senior Ranger
Kapama Main Lodge
