Snake Expert Explains 7 Practical Steps to Keep Snakes away from Your House and Compound
- Dr Mark Ofua, a snake expert and veterinarian, has highlighted important steps to take to prevent snakes from entering one's house and compound
- The death of fast-rising Abuja singer Ifunanya 'Nanyah' Nwangene, who was bitten by a snake, has given rise to concerns about snakes in the country
- In an exclusive interview with Legit.ng, Dr Mark, who has practised since 2014, listed seven proactive steps to keep snakes away from their homes
Abuja singer Ifunanya 'Nanyah' Nwangene's death has created panic among many Nigerians, as people worry about snakes and how to prevent them from getting into their homes.
Dr Mark Ofua, founder of Saint Mark's Animal Hospital in Lagos, has said there are numerous ways to prevent snakes from gaining access into the house.
Source: Original
7 Practical steps to keep snakes away
Speaking exclusively with Legit.ng, Dr Mark, the West African rep for Wild Africa, a conservation communications NGO, noted that every snake we see is either hunting or finding a place of refuge.
He stated that having this knowledge beforehand makes it easy to prevent snakes from entering the homes. On the practical approaches to keep snakes away, he said the first step is environmental sanitation.
"If we remember the fact that every snake we see out there in our environs is either hunting or finding refuge, then it becomes easy to snake-proof our homes!
"The first step in keeping snakes away from our homes is environmental sanitation. Ensure that outside our fences is clear of bushes that can hide snakes."
Dr Mark, a conservationist and veterinarian, added that heaps of rubbish and unused building materials should also be properly disposed of, as they are good hiding places for snakes.
"Then look around your compound. Any heap of rubbish, discarded materials, or unused building materials is a good hiding spot for them. Rubbish bins and dumpsters are great attractions for rats, and where you have rats, you have snakes hunting them."
He highlighted other practical steps to keep snakes away from the house.
"Ensure you don’t have an unnecessary population of lizards or frogs in the compound.
"Chicken and their eggs also will definitely attract certain snakes as well, so; if you live in a snake-prone area, site your chicken coop well away from the living quarters!
"Finally get rid of rats in the home itself! A snake can trace the chemical cues of a rat that ran into your kitchen from last week!
"Block holes and whatnots that snakes can use to get in! Another good route they use to get into our homes is the Soakaway or septic tanks. Rats congregate in these soakaways and attract snakes.
"These snakes can then follow the pipes and enter our toilets or water cistern outlets in our homes. So our designs must prevent snakes from finding their way into our homes."
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In a related story, Legit.ng reported that a snake expert had shared seven quick steps to take when one is bitten by a snake.
Things that attract snakes to your house
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a snake expert and veterinarian, Dr Mark Ofua, had highlighted the things that attract snakes to people's homes.
Speaking exclusively with Legit.ng, Dr Mark, who has been practising since 2014, pointed out that snakes naturally do not want to have any interaction with humans, but human incursions into their territories by deforestation have given rise to the unavoidable human-snake interaction, which he called human-wildlife conflict.
According to Dr Mark, snakes are very primal creatures who have almost no concept of play, fun, or anything of such nature. He further said that any snake one comes in contact with is either on a hunt for food, fleeing danger or returning from a hunt.
Source: Legit.ng
