So, what happens to the snakes after they are caught?
Updated | By Nokuthula Ngcobo
We've seen seasoned snake catcher Nick Evans rescuing snakes and issuing warnings and valuable information about the different species of snakes, but what happens after they are rescued? This week Nick Evans tells us all about it.
Often we see videos or pictures of snake rescues, but we are never told where the snakes are taken to.
Snake Rescue's Nick Evans says that once he rescues a snake, he usually puts it into a plastic bucket with a lid that has clips. However, many other snake catchers use a pillowcase or any material bag - which is something he would not advise because he has seen and heard of cases where some rescuers got bitten through the material.
"Some people ask me if I'm going to kill it once I've rescued it. No. That does not happen because there's not much point in me risking my life and capturing a mamba from a roof or in a tree only to go home and chop it's head off or gas it," Nick says.
READ: Seasoned snake catcher Nick Evans tells us how he became "The Snake Guy"
According to scientists, releasing a snake further than 10km causes it to be disorientated and it may end up dying, so Nick does not release the snake too far away from where he rescued it.
What happens if the snake returns?
Listen to the podcast as Nick Evans gives more details about what he does to track snakes via microchipping and the process of DNA sampling to track the growth and population of different snake species in an area.
READ: Common myths and beliefs about snakes
Nick's organisation, KwaZulu-Natal Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, is a chapter of The Lawrence Anthony Earth Organisation.
Contact Nick on 072 809 5806 for information about snake removals. Email him if you'd like to find out about his educational talks.
Find past episodes from Snake Rescue below.
IMAGE CREDIT: Nick Evans
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