Cheap Retirement Living

Posts Tagged ‘snakes’

Nature’s Threats – All Creatures Great And Small

Nature’s Threats are some of the most varied and violent you will ever have the misfortune to encounter. From microscopic germs and viruses to giant, warm blooded mammals intent on eating you alive. Snakes, spiders, sharks, dogs, poisonous plants and insects that can kill you as sure as any assassin’s bullet.

Most of us live in cities and within those cities in homes that are, at least on the surface, free of pests and dangerous animal life. Yet even in the cleanest of homes, germs can survive long enough to cause harm. Some of the deadliest diseases known to modern science lurk in the cleanest of hospital wards, Golden Staph and many more we haven’t even learnt of their existence yet.

I have a saying, “If you don’t want to risk being bitten by a shark, simply stay out of the water!” This category covers all the creepy crawlies, bities, carnivores and things that can eat you. There is no creature on this planet that includes humans on their menu except if and when the opportunity arises. Imagine how different life would be if there were a species out there that actively hunted us for food, much as we hunt or farm many animals, birds and fish.

If you are visiting or living in an island nation then there will most likely be times when you either travel across the water or spend some time in it. Trust me, there are worse things in there than sharks!

Most shark attacks occur at dawn or dusk or night when sharks feed, in murky water and near the mouths of rivers. That’s where the fish usually are. On average 12 people every year are killed by sharks compared to millions of sharks being killed by humans. Mostly for the Chinese shark fin trade and one reason I never dine in any Chinese restaurant that serves shark fin soup.

I have dived with several types of shark and I hold the belief that you won’t get bitten by the shark you can see! If you can see it then you can confront it and most sharks won’t risk a confrontation just to find out if you are edible. Not worth the risk/reward equation for them.

What is far more dangerous are the unseen stingers that inhabit the waters. Box jellyfish and the almost invisible Irukandji marine stinger do inhabit some local waters. They can be lethal. Less dangerous but extremely painful are Hydroids. I was hit with a Hydroid sting on the leg (aka Hydrozoa) and five years later still have the scarring. It is a nasty, jellyfish like organism that stings and causes a lot of pain for a long time! They can have a medusa stage like a jellyfish and also a polyp stage and look like coral. Best advice is to wear a wet suit or stinger suit and never touch anything underwater!

There are stonefish, razor clams, cone shells and other assorted marine creatures that can do you harm but you have to be unlucky to fall afoul of one unless you try to play wildlife expert and catch something. Although highly venomous, the dozen or so species of sea snakes you may encounter are mostly timid and rarely bite unless roughly handled. So don’t handle them!

Should you retire overseas, say in the Philippines, on land there are ten species of venomous snakes including four types of cobra and three species of pit viper. There are also three species of Sea Krait that inhabit both land and sea! There are also constrictor snakes such as the Reticulated Python (up to 30ft long, with 20ft quite common) and they have been known to kill goats and dogs and even small people. In 1998 in Lucena a 2 month old baby was eaten by a python as he lay sleeping in his cot.

North America has several species of Rattlesnake as well as Cottonmouths,Copperheads, Coral snakes and more. Australia has more of the world’s most venomous species than anywhere else; Taipans, Death Adders,Browns, Blacks, Tigers and a range of sea snakes. Central America and the Caribbean also hold many slithering surprises with the Fer de Lance, various vipers and a collection of coral snake varieties. Costa Rica alone has 135 varieties of snake with 17 of them venomous!

The good news is that snakes prefer not to bite you as they can’t eat you and would muh rather be left alone. If you are bitten and you can safely kill and collect the snake (for identification purposes) then do so; however most people are bitten when they try to catch the snake for a closer look in the first place! If you want a close look, subscribe to Animal Planet on cable TV and sit next to the screen!

When it comes to spiders there are only two or three species to worry about, but never forget the vicious bites from centipedes and millipedes and numerous other insect species as well as the Dengue and Malaria carrying mosquitoes. You may also find yourself far enough in the boondocks to be at risk from crocodiles. In Palawan and Southern Mindanao in particular as well as tropical Australia the estuarine or saltwater crocodile can be found. Florida, one of the retirement capitals of the world has more Alligators than they can manage. As anywhere in the world, it pays to see if any of the locals are swimming before jumping in, no matter how hot the day may be!

Far more likely though would be an encounter with a dog. Although most Third World dogs are small and easily scared away, rabies is present in the country and you may be bitten by a rabies infected animal. I make it a rule never to pet stray animals and once you have seen the wretched condition of the average dog or cat roaming the streets I doubt you would want to get too close to one.

Monkeys can also carry rabies and other diseases and they have been known to bite the hand that feeds them. Unless you are on a primate studying expedition I would keep well away from them. Bats and rats can also pass on infections so keep covered up when you sleep in the boonies! Even domestic animals such as chickens, goats and pigs as well as the much larger cows, horses, donkeys and carabao (aka water buffalo) can pose a risk. Why bother? I leave the animal husbandry to the locals and have never had a problem. Of course when my inlaws and I were breeding pigs it got rather hands on at times but that to my mind is different to someone just visiting for a few weeks vacation.

If nothing else, be aware that ‘Nature” is unpredictable. My girls are forever asking me if this or that animal bites. I am forever reminding them that if it has teeth, then it can bite. Don’t feed it your fingers!