Mfuwe Snakebite Prevention Project

13/05/2026

Black Mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) with white mouth from near Louis Trichardt, Limpopo. The inner lining of the mouth in most Black Mambas is usually black but there are exceptions.

29/04/2026

Snakebite Prevention in rural Africa.

25 likes, 1 comment. "Snakebite Prevention Africa English Version (Large File Size)"

22/04/2026

An important distinction

DEADLY BUT NOT DANGEROUS Many snakes have deadly venom but are not dangerous. Here we use the word “dangerous” in the context of something that is known to regularly cause morbidity (tissue damage or systemic effects), or mortality (death).In this group of ‘deadly but not dangerous’ snakes, ...

22/04/2026

The Boomslang is often listed among Africa’s most venomous snakes, yet encounters with this species rarely result in bites.

Why? Boomslangs are shy, tree-dwelling snakes that prefer to avoid human contact. They spend most of their time in vegetation hunting birds, lizards, and small animals. Their calm nature means bites typically only occur when the snake is handled or threatened.

Understanding snake behaviour is one of the most important ways to reduce snakebite incidents. Many snakes that people fear are not naturally aggressive and will only defend themselves if provoked.

Learning to identify snakes correctly and understanding how they behave is key to staying safe in snake-prone environments.
Read more about South Africa’s deadly but not dangerous snakes here:
https://africanreptiles-venom.co.za/deadly-but-not-dangerous/

21/04/2026

09/04/2026

From navigation to social behavior to personality, scientists are rewriting what it means to be a clever snake. Here’s what we know, according to research.

29/03/2026

Snake Repellents, Do they work?

Chlorine Powder, Lemon Grass, Garlic 🧄, Used Oil, Diesel, Petrol, Fumigation tablets, Onions🧅 to mention but a few.

NONE of the above or any other plants or chemicals will keep snakes away.

We work with snake and see how they do not work. They've been tested and proved not to work by many top universities and by snake experts.

As Snake removers, we could make a lot of Money selling you repellents. We could lie, use fear to get you to buy our products. We would be rich quickly.
We are honest about it.
One person called me that he had bought a snake repellent and it was working but since the rains started he thinks it was washed away.
He wanted me to sell to him if i had any.
I tried to explain that he had started seeing snakes because it was now snake season and not that the repellent had stopped working, he shouted at me that if i did not have what he was looking for it was just better to say than waste his time.

NOTHING you spray, pour, spill, plant etc around your house will keep snakes away if what the snake is interested in remains at your house.

Don't lose your money to the shops selling "repellents", do not pollute the environment with diesel, used oil or chlorine.

So to keep snakes away:

Remove what the snakes are following- rats, mice, frogs and secure your chicks and eggs with proper wire and shade net.

Remove things around the house that provide snakes with shelter (holes, long grass, piles of bricks, stones, firewood etc)

To prevent snakebite:
- Keep doors closed
- Always wear proper shoes and at night use a torch
- Never put your hand or foot where you cannot see
- Leave any snakes you see alone. No matter how dangerous a snake is, it becomes harmless if you stay away from it

If the snake can't be "left alone"- e.g. it's inside your house or other place where humans frequent, call a snake remover.

Trying to kill snakes is what gets people bitten as the snake *will* try to defend itself.

Snake removers have been trained- they know what type of snake it is just by looking and know what behaviour to expect and thus they know how best to remove it safely.

In Zambia we do not make any money out of it. Its a voluntary service to our communities to keep you safe and conserve the snakes.

26/01/2026

These snakes are not found in Zambia but what is being said is very important and applicable here as well.

26/01/2026

🐍 Mfuwe Snakebite Prevention Project in collaboration with Philipp Berg and Marcel van Driel published a perspective article on rural snakebite prevention.