Cape Town – Snakes are being hunted in the city’s wetlands and bushes for their skins which are sold to traditional healers and sangomas.
The Cape of Good Hope SPCA has raised concerns about the growing demand for mambas, Cape cobras, boomslangs and puff adders, and tortoises for muti.
Popular hunting grounds include wetlands in Khayelitsha and a bushy area in Delft. The hunters include young boys after easy money but unaware of the risks.
Snake hunter Cheslyn Mentoor said a snake skin sells for R80 and the brains R60.
Armed with an iron rod, Mentor said snake hunting was risky, especially when targeting dangerous snakes. But he can’t find work and it helped him earn some money.
“Snakes aren’t easy to catch – they fight back. You must watch your distance and be very accurate when you hit.
“I sell the skins and brains to traditional healers and sangomas. They make medicine with it. A live snake can cost between R100 and R150, depending on the size.
“Some traditional healers are looking for specific snakes, like the dangerous puff adders, cobras and mambas.”
A female traditional healer in Langa, known as Tyopo, uses snake parts mixed with traditional herbs in the belief that it will help cure epilepsy and ward off evil.
“Traditional healers mix the brains with some herbs to produce a medicine than can help in fighting epilepsy in children and adults,” Tyopo said.
“Snakes skins are usually used for arm belts for protection against evil and sometimes to heal a wound.”
Medical practitioner, Dr Ellapen Rapiti said there was no scientific evidence that snake brains cured epilepsy.
“Using the brains of a snake isn’t medically recommended as it is hasn’t been tested. This is like saying abalone can increase one’s libido. There’s no evidence.”
SPCA communication, edu- cation and resource development manager Belinda Abrahams said hunting and marketing snakes contravened the Animals Protection Act.
In the past two months the organisation has dealt with several cases of animal trade for muti, including the capture of a Cape fur seal.
“Inspectors removed a snake and tortoise from one household. It’s sad that people are doing this for commercial gain. This has to stop. People involved in the trade will be penalised and fined.”
The case involving the Cape fur seal is before court.
Grant Smith of Cape Snake Conservation said snake hunting was illegal without a permit and risky: “Some of the snakes are incredibly venomous. For instance the Cape cobra’s bite can be lethal.”