Have you ever seen an advert on social media or Google for a snake handling course, and wonder to yourself what that even is? And what sort of people want to handle snakes?

Let’s break that down for you:

Snake handling is often a non-negotiable health and safety requirement on corporate sites – especially remote sites in rural areas like mines, solar and wind farms and construction sites where the staff are exposed to snakes on site. Having trained and certified snake handlers on site is a vital necessity for the company to comply with health and safety regulations.

Other sectors such as guarding or security, where the company is responsible for the safety of a client, may also require snake handling training.

But attending such a course is not only for corporate employees. A number of people encounter snakes in their daily lives, be it in their homes or gardens, on plots or farms, or while out camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, trail running etc. Knowing what to do in such encounters is a great advantage – especially with all the myths and false information that surrounds snakes.

Should you run? Should you shout? Do snakes even have ears?

We answer all of these questions in our hugely informative public Snake Awareness, First aid for Snakebite and Venomous Snake Handling courses. These courses are hosted at various venues throughout South Africa – and cover all the questions you’ve ever had about snakes.

Our public courses are open to delegates from all walks of life. Those with an interest in knowing what to do in encounters and emergencies, to those who want to pursue their avid passion for snakes and wildlife rescue.

The Snake Awareness, First Aid for Snakebite and Venomous Snake Handling course has two aspects. The morning theoretical session covers snake awareness, identification, biology, what to do in encounters, myths, superstition, how to deal with snakebite emergencies, first aid for scorpion sting and spider bite, and first aid for snakebite. Some people opt for this part of the course only – purely just to learn more about snakes.

Those who are a bit more adventurous join us for the venomous snake handling segment as well. The afternoon practical session teaches delegates how to safely catch and release venomous snakes. We work with several different species and delegates are taught how to use the correct equipment for each species. There is no physical contact with snakes and they are not caught behind the neck or by the tail. We pride ourselves on teaching the safest snake handling techniques and delegates are guided by a trained professional throughout the practical handling.

Our minimum age for the snake awareness, first aid for snakebite and venomous snake handling course is 12 and 16 for the more advanced courses.

Whether you’re planning on offering your newfound skills to the local community as a snake remover, or you just want to arm yourself with the knowledge and know-how on identifying snakes, and how to safely catch and remove a snake from your home – attending a snake awareness, first aid for snakebite and venomous snake handling course would be the first step.

Click here to view our upcoming course dates.