Preamble

My interest in snakes came from a very early age and although i am sure that there were previous occasions, my first memory was of my father catching a brown house snake which had crept onto our veranda at the farm. I was struck with amazement at the way it moved, its shiny scales, its shiny eyes and the nervous tongue flickering out. My lack of fear was either due to my inquisitive age or a reflection of my fathers own outward show of enthusiasm.
I was therefore devastated when, what appears in my memory to be a very short time afterwards, I was rushed into the house and the shotgun was produced to dispatch a large green snake in the hedge alongside the same veranda. My little mind could not understand why one snake had the right to be loved and released but the other..... I was about seven years old and although I only caught a glimpse of the snakes lifeless body the memory and feeling of unfairness lingers on.

There were many more sitings of snakes and many more dead bodies encountered over the following five years and each would get my blood running with excitement and despair in equal proportions. However i was never again to witness my family kill another snake and in fact did see a few live ones that Dad had managed to box and move. He later explained to me that the snake that he had shot was a tree snake (boomslang) which was deadly and territorial and Dad being in the army and away for some months on end felt that it was safer especially when considering that he had a seven year old with no fear for snakes. I acknowledge now that he had little option and do forgive him !! He too owned up to being interested in snakes at an early age but that is his story and now i am going to tell mine !!!