In his book Dragon’s Wrath, Reginald Pearse records that during the 80-year period from 1906 to 1985, only one death from snake bite was recorded in the Natal Drakensberg.  While many more bites by poisonous snakes were recorded, these did not prove fatal.  According to the literature, there are only three seriously poisonous snakes to be found in the area: the deadly poisonous puff adder and rinkhals, and the slightly less poisonous berg adder. Snake handlers have also reported encountering the very deadly Cape cobra, but you will not find this distribution listed in reference works.  The night adder – although poisonous – is not considered to be deadly. Both the puff adder and rinkhals are rarely encountered in the Drakensberg, unlike the berg adder which is endemic to the area.  Even so, the population density of snakes in the Drakensberg is relatively low compared with that of the coastal and bushveld regions of South Africa, so backpackers should not be put off hiking in the Drakensberg by their presence.

In the Drakensberg both the puff adder and the rinkhals are usually highly coloured and therefore fairly easy to see, unlike their relatives living at lower altitudes elsewhere around the country.  The generally smaller berg adder is much more camouflaged since it is a patterned dark grey / black colour.  It is responsible for most Berg snake bites.  None of these snakes climbs trees or bushes.  Do not assume that you will notice any of them from a safe distance though!

There are some simple precautions to take that can help you avoid getting within striking range:

• The leader, and especially the person immediately behind him / her, should be constantly on the lookout for snakes during the hot summer months and in early autumn (when they go on a feeding frenzy in preparation for their winter hibernation).  Often the leader will disturb a snake and it may go into a defensive pose ready to strike at any further threat, which is very likely to be the next hiker in the queue.  Beware of small or sudden movements, and large contrasts in colour.
• The three poisonous snakes mentioned above do not like to be disturbed or interfered with, and will try to give you plenty of warning of this.  An aggravated puff adder or rinkhals will make a loud, drawn-out huffing noise (haaaaaaaaaa), and the rinkhals will also rear its head and form a flattened hood which can extend a considerable distance down its body.  This noise is usually sufficient to grab anyone’s immediate and undivided attention.  Beware of the rinkhals – it can spit a lot further than it can strike.  The generally smaller berg adder will usually make a higher-pitched hissing noise.  Young berg adders appear to squeak.
• Except for the fat and usually sluggish puff adder, most snakes will be terrified at your approach and will try to make a quick getaway.  If you are walking in single file, this gives them an almost 360 degree choice of route.  If you are walking in line abreast, this choice is drastically reduced to less than 180 degrees and more than one hiker is likely to encounter the snake.
• Both the puff adder and berg adder adopt a defensive coiled posture if they feel they cannot escape in time, while the rinkhals will rear up and flatten its hood.  The adders can strike at an alarming speed, straightening one or more of their coils in the process and thus extending their reach, then immediately reloading their “spring” for the next strike which might follow almost instantly.  Do not approach a coiled snake too closely!
• The leader can find a walking stick or pole useful in thickly grassed or overgrown areas where he cannot see his own feet.  Poking the stick ahead of him, he can give any snakes better warning of his approach and allow more time for them to attempt an escape.
• Avoid walking in dongas (eroded paths) where a snake might be able to strike you at thigh height of even higher.
• Always wear ankle-height hiking boots.  Open sandals provide no protection from snakes whatsoever.  The author prefers to wear full-length snow gaiters as well for various reasons, one of them being better protection from snakes.  Never assume it is safe to walk around barefoot or in sandals outside your cave or tent.
• When scrambling up or down steep slopes, check carefully where you put your hands. Berg adders are fond of lying on small rock ledges, and climbers are the most frequent victims of their bites.
• Snakes are most active at night, since this is when their food – consisting mainly of frogs and rodents – is also most active.  In summer, snakes tend to spend the daytime heating themselves in the sun in preparation for their night-time hunting activity, or – if it is very hot – lying up in shade somewhere.  It makes sense, then, that snakes are more likely to be encountered at night, or in the early morning or late afternoon.  Avoid hiking at night in summer.
• Snakes hibernate in winter but they do not go into deep hibernation like mammals.  On a hot winter’s day they may leave their burrows to sun themselves, so be especially careful in such conditions.
• Always check the ground in the area where you are about to sit very thoroughly.  Stamp around a bit before you sit – this gives a snake further warning and the flattened grass will make it easier to check the area.  More than one hiker has been struck on the backside by an irritated little berg adder, which can easily be mistaken for a twig.
• As terrifying as it sounds, if you get almost to within striking distance of a puff adder of rinkhals, it is best to stand absolutely still.  Neither snake really wants to bite you – they prefer to keep their venom for catching food, and you’re too big to eat!  These snakes have quite poor vision and are best at detecting movement.  If you keep still they will usually calm down and move off, although they might still adopt some form of defensive posturing like huffing.
• These snakes might appear aggressive but they will not chase you even if they could.  Given half a chance they prefer to disappear from site within as short a time as possible.  If the snake is at a safe distance, simply stop and make way for it.  Then make a wide berth around the area where you last saw it, and remember to tell the others at the back of the line what area to avoid.
• Never attempt to catch or pick up a snake.  The rinkhals is usually so reluctant to bite that it may even feign death, but this act will be abandoned if you pick it up.

The method for treating snake bite victims has changed considerably over the years.  Indigenous peoples have used the cut and suck method for centuries, apparently quite effectively despite the considerable danger to the person doing the sucking, although it has been suggested that this treatment is largely psychosomatic since there is very little scientific evidence that it may actually work.  The carriage of a snake bite kit containing antivenin was for years considered to be the safest option, but antivenin has a short life-span in warm weather and its effects can be every bit as devastating as the bite itself in people who are allergic to it, especially when improperly administered.  Recent evidence suggests that the longer the use of antivenin is delayed, the more likely there are to be complications, since the body – already trying to deal with the poison – may be overwhelmed by the appearance of yet another invasion.  The use of a tourniquet is considered to be ineffective and potentially aggravating, especially in the case of cytotoxic (cell-destroying) poisons.

The reason for the changing treatment of snake bite is that the exact mechanism by which poisons spread through the body is not clearly understood, but the latest research seems to suggest that the slow-acting (viz. cytotoxic) poisons are usually distributed through the lymphatic system.  The cytotoxic poison itself is usually quite viscous (i.e. syrupy) and its distribution requires that it be diluted in the tissue fluid.  Whether it spreads through the lymphatic system or the circulatory system, it is obvious that any activity on the part of the victim will assist in its distribution.  While this may be desirable in the case of a virulently cytotoxic poison such as that of the puff adder, it merely speeds death in the case of a mamba bite!

First Aid courses now teach the use of a pressure bandage, where a broad crepe bandage is wrapped around the affected limb to restrict the spread of the poison.  This bandage should not be tied so tightly that it severely restricts the blood supply to the extremities of the limb.  Some snake handlers recommend that a bandage not be used at all if the bite site is very painful, since this is indicative of a cytotoxic poison whose restriction to the area of the bite will assist it in destroying body tissue there!  Cytotoxic poisons may also cause rapid and severe local swelling, so unless it is regularly loosened to allow for the swelling, a bandage will eventually cut off the blood supply.  An action that has been part of every treatment, however, is the calming and immobilisation of the bite victim.

The problem faced by hikers when confronted with a poisonous snake bite is that help is often far away, and a helicopter evacuation may not be possible because of the weather or the time of day.  A cell-phone can prove useful if you are carrying the necessary telephone numbers, but cell-phone coverage in the Drakensberg is very poor due to the mountainous terrain.  It is essential to send someone to call for help, preferably carrying a cell-phone and armed with the telephone number of at least the nearest access point.  The use of a suction kit such as the Aspivenin, which is small, light and easily portable, followed by the application of a pressure bandage (except in the case of a puff adder bite), is probably a better option than doing nothing more than calming the victim and sending for help.  Positive identification of the snake will help determine the best course of action to take, but do not go out looking for it or attempt to kill it.  If in doubt about the type of snake, rather err on the side of caution and treat the incident as an extreme emergency.