A mother and son duo put their expertise to use to rescue some cold-blooded creatures (and a lucky rodent) from dangerous conditions in South Africa.
As detailed by Good Things Guy, Davine Sansom and son Andre Barnard sprung to action after someone notified them that snakes were clinging to a fence along the R27 in Rietvlei. When the pair arrived, they discovered that Andre would have to walk through waist-deep water to get to the reptiles. Davine, who is a qualified snake handler along with Andre, explained to Good Things Guy that the icy water meant that the creatures were in a potentially deadly situation.
"Snakes are good swimmers, but being cold blooded and the icy cold water makes it difficult for them to swim long distances, and they can drown," she said.
Fortunately, Andre is used to the storms along the Cape, having rescued 64 snakes, chameleons, and skinks with Davine in September 2023, and was able to bring the Skaapsteker and brown water snakes to safety in time. In the process, he also saved a mouse that almost surely would have drowned.
The duo's compassion is a powerful reminder that everyone has the power to support their local ecosystems. While depictions of snakes in popular culture typically aren't favorable, the reptiles help maintain biodiversity, keeping the Earth's systems in balance.
In addition to serving as food for creatures higher up the food chain, the predators can limit the spread of disease by controlling rodent populations, according to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Veterinary Medicine (perhaps making the bonus rescue mouse doubly lucky). The venom of some snake species is even used in treatments for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease, strokes, and brain injuries.
Not everyone is equipped to safely handle wildlife — and only professional rescuers should venture into floodwaters — but others have played their part by calling in qualified officials, volunteering, or even spontaneously coming together to prevent waste from entering the ocean.
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