INTRODUCTION

If you fear snakes, it is probably because you are unfamiliar with them or you have the wrong information about them. There is no need for you to fear snakes if you know—

•Their habits.

•How to identify the dangerous kinds.

•Precautions to take to prevent snakebite.

•What actions to take in case of snakebite.

For a man wearing shoes and trousers and living in a camp, the danger of being bitten by a venomous snake is small compared to the hazards of malaria, cholera, dysentery, or other diseases.

Nearly all snakes avoid man if possible. Reportedly, however, a few—the king cobra of Southeast Asia, the bushmaster and tropical rattlesnake of South America, and the mamba of Africa—sometimes aggressively attack man, but even these snakes do so only occasionally. Most snakes get out of the way and are seldom seen.