scary incident...

[forrestdweller]

.... during a morning stroll

this weekend i finally managed to get away from my current work for a few hours, so i went to visit a friend with a large jungle property for some much-needed dirt time . this morning i went to his waterfall to check for poachers (fortunately none) when i noticed what i thought was a leaf sticking to my walking stick beside my calf. so i flicked it forwards to get rid of it -- only to realise it wasn't a leaf but an eyelash pitviper wrapped tightly around my stick :yikes: (they live up in trees and are well camouflaged) definitely pays to keep attention to your surroundings in the jungle...

 

[CLEM]

Scary indeed, very scary

 

[Toddy]

You have no idea how glad I am that the worst I have to keep an eye open for are clegs and ticks.

Adders do bite, but they're pretty rare creatures around these parts.

M

 

[JonathanD]

Cool. Why is it I have to look for hours for them and other people have magic sticks that attract them.

Bet that got your pulse racing slightly.

 

[forrestdweller]

it indeed slightly increased my pulse....
getting it off proved rather challenging as it was wrapped around tightly and shaking my stick got the critter rather upset , causing it to strike (at empty space fortunately) --- i finally resorted to submerging the snake for about 20seconds which left it somewhat stunned and i managed to remove it and move on...

 

[C_Claycomb]

How long were you standing still for the snake to mistake your stick for a small tree?

 

[forrestdweller]

How long were you standing still for the snake to mistake your stick for a small tree?

i either somehow managed to pick it up while it moved from one branch to the next (== "brushing it off" with my stick) or it decided to hitch a ride when my stick was leaning for maybe one minute against a small tree while shaking out my rubber boots before putting them back on (shaking out footwear before putting it on is really important in the tropics as you never know what's moving in...)

it definitely wasn't there for long before i noticed it

 

[forrestdweller]

other

other people have magic sticks that attract them.

my stick isn't magic but i've lost count how many times i've been told i look like Gandalf or Moses (or the local mountain god in Korea)
and everyone thinks it's new and funny to tell me i'm Rambo (because of my headband)/ Crocodile Dundee (when i carry my pruning saw on my belt) or Indiana Jones...(rolls his eyes ) i've once even been greeted with "" David Livingstone, i presume?! "" by other hikers on Stewart Island...

 

[JonathanD]

It’s most inconsiderate of you not to take a photo too

 

[TLM]

How dangerous is the mentioned viper?

 

[forrestdweller]

It’s most inconsiderate of you not to take a photo too

i took a pic of the snake but as i'm technically challenged i've no idea how to post it :-( ....

@TLM: i definitely wouldn't want to get bitten by one, especially considering it was (likely) a juvenile snake, so a bite would mean a full injection of venom (a neighbours daughter got bitten some time ago by a fer-de-lance but fortunately it was a dry bite) and it's a long trip to the hospital...

 

[Herman30]

Indiana Jones and I have one thing in common.

 

[forrestdweller]

i respect them but they don't freak me out -- i've had a 2m python trying to get into my bed (nicely asking to leave me alone helped ), one place we had a 5ft King Brown living under the shower until i took the floor apart (introduced to my hosts .22magnum as the nearest landing place for the Royal Flying Doctors was a rather long drive away...) and last year a small fer-de-lance crawled almost over my feet while i say on the loo (finished my "business" and grabbed a stick...)
in the jungle/ bush i give them their space when encountering them as they're a part of nature, too

 

[Wayne]

Interesting walk. im rather fond of snakes but prefer my encounters at a distance. It's rather nice knowing that there are creatures around that can spoil your day.

Id like to see a photo.

 

[forrestdweller]

not my photo (that has to wait until i find someone more tech savvy and with a "proper" computer instead a tablet...) but this should give folks an idea what i'm talking about:

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bothriechis_schlegelii

 

[henchy3rd]

My sister has a video of a Dugite(Western Australia)hitting the window trying to get to her Dachshunds.

 

[forrestdweller]

interesting given the fact that a dachshund is ways too large as food for one and i can't see the dog being a threat to a snake on the other side of a window... (long time since i've been in a zoo but i don't recall any reptile in a terrarium trying to bite me... once had a brown snake(?! not sure as it was dark) biting the front tire of my pushbike...)

i'm very glad to hear that your sister's dachshund survived -- i've fond memories of my friend's wire dachshund during my childhood (his dad was a hunter and the dog was a purebred trained to search for wounded animals)...