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Many of us as humans have the common ideology of snake = danger. This article has been based on the interest of changing people’s perspectives about snakes, to help educate them as to the role of the snake and why they are a vital to have around, and finally to advise on what snakes to be cautious of and which ones are not to be concerned about.
As summer is upon us, we can expect a visit every now and again from one or two of our scaly friends. Most encounters that people have with snakes are with those of a non-venomous nature, such as the Spotted Bush Snake, Brown House Snake, Red Lipped Heralds, Green Water Snakes, Southern Brown Egg Eaters, Black Headed Centipede Eaters, Brown Water Snakes and Mole Snakes, just to name a few.
The venomous species to be on the lookout for and to well stay clear of that people come into contact with most commonly in the suburban areas are the Puff Adder, the Black Mamba, the Cape Cobra, the Boomslang, the Mozambique Spitting Cobra and the Rinkhals, to name the most common.
Now many people may be questioning why the Green Mamba is not on the list of most common venomous snakes and the answer is that Green Mambas are not actually as common as believed to be. They prefer forested areas with minimal human interference such as mangrove areas and dense tree influenced areas.
What is the role of snakes in the environment and why they are a vital entity to have around:
Snakes form a key link in the food chain and they act as both predator and prey. They help maintain a healthy ecosystem, taking care of the rodent, frog, lizard, bird and centipede population, a control that nature has provided us. Without snakes there would be an outbreak in these species and there would be very few other creatures that could assist with population control, potentially leading to outbreaks and population explosions that would affect environment and result in food chain imbalances.
Snake Venom:
Snake venom is produced and stored in modified salivary glands, roughly on either side of the head, behind the eyes. The venom not only allows the snake to kill its prey, but also assist with the digestive processes. Snakes cannot chew their food and thus rely on their saliva and venom. Snakes each have only one of the venom types, except for the Mozambique Spitting Cobra, and the Berg Adder, which have both venom that is Cytotoxic as well as Neurotoxic. Venom of the Gaboon Adder has Cytotoxic, Haemotoxic (causes bleeding) and cardio-vascular effects.
Classification of snake venom: Haemotoxic venom – Boomslang and Vine Snake. This venom causes continued bleeding because it stops blood from coagulating. These snakes have grooved back fangs.
Cytotoxic venom – Adders. This type of venom leads to tissue destruction around the site of the bite along with localised bleeding. These snakes have Hollow front hinged fangs.
Neurotoxic venom – Cobras and Mambas. This venom affects the nervous system and causes paralysis of the muscles, difficulty in breathing, nausea and vomiting. These snakes have hollow front fixed fangs.
Interesting facts about snakes:
Snakes have good vision and will tend to ignore and not strike at stationary objects, hence the reason behind the rule: if you do come into the proximity of a snake, do not move and wait for it to move off before continuing. The two exceptions to this are the Boomslang and the Vine Snake, these two species are capable of seeing and recognising stationary prey.
Snakes are unable to hear airborne sounds due to the absence of external ear holes. They do however have an auditory nerve and are able to pick up sounds traveling through a dense medium such as the ground.
Snakes can smell by pushing their tongue through a groove in the front of the mouth, and as it flicks up and down it picks up various particles in the air. When the tongue is retracted back into the mouth, these particles are deposited into a special organ called the Jacobson’s organ, situated in the roof of the mouth. This informs the brain exactly what the snake is smelling.
Snakes make use of three different systems of movement. Sidewinding is the first motion, it is a specialised form of movement used only by a few desert-dwelling species to allow for movement across moving sand. Next is a normal serpentine movement, used by most snakes as a form of movement when disturbed or when chasing prey. The snake undulates horizontally forcing the lower, rear edges of the body against any projections on the ground. Finally we have the Caterpillar-like movement, the snake progresses slowly forward in a straight line using the scales on the underside of the body pushing forwards in waves, heavy bodied snakes such as pythons and Puff Adders often use this method of forward motion.
Hopefully this little segment has helped you understand snakes a little bit better and that you, the reader has learned a bit more about snakes, their roles in the environment and what species are both lethal and non-lethal and finally why they are an important entity to have around . Snakes are not here to target us and would much rather choose the flight option rather than fight as they have to stay in good condition to hunt their prey and keep our homes and neighbourhood rodent, frog, bird and lizard populations in check so that we do not encounter any outbreaks in populations.
Michael Nel (SA37)
Credit: Article has been composed from personal experiences, Studying from Nature Guide Learner Manual (NQF2) written by Grant and Gillie Hine and with studying through ASI ( African snakebite institute) with Johan Marais.
As the final mail in our series, this one focuses on the nag system. The TrackBox nag system has been designed to help ensure that all relevant information has been completed. Each time you open your TrackBox emergency app, the nag system checks whether your app is up to date, whether you have selected an ERPC (Emergency Response and Prevention Centre) and whether you have completed your personal information and will alert you if any of these are still outstanding. Remember, if you do not select the correct ERPC (Emergency Response and Prevention Centre) and keep your information up to date, please expect delays during an emergency or calls for support.
From all of us at TrackBox we would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your valuable support over the last several years in making this ground breaking and lifesaving application a reality. Thanks to your testing and use of the app, TrackBox has been able to be directly involved in co-ordinating the response to well over 100 000+ emergencies and has led to 1013 high level arrests. For more info visit https://trackbox.world/project-mustard-seed/
We are heading towards 1.5 million+ users strong with 242 ERPC’s helping to manage the network. We are connected to over 100+ different emergency services. Our ERPC (Emergency Response and Prevention Centre) Dispatchers deal with over 350+ emergencies or concerns every day and this makes us a large family community action network who together is able to live by our motto AAA – Anything, Anytime, Anywhere…
The Nag system checks for the following in order of priority:
TrackBox App Generation 10 update 1.0.313* released: 19 June 2018
TrackBox Technologies will tomorrow 19 June 2018 release a new update to their Generation 10 TrackBox App. The latest update will be live in store during the course of tomorrow.
The new update includes an app health check which automatically checks the login status of the app and prompts user to login if necessary. This helps to minimise accidental log outs and ensures that the service is running correctly and ready to react in case of emergency.
Billing assistance has been provided to help simplify the billing process. This brings the account and billing settings to the registration process for new users, as well as includes both a notification and direct access for existing users who have not yet completed their billing information, set their preferred ERPC (Emergency Response & Prevention Centre) or selected a free or premium membership.
Aesthetic updates to UX (User Experience) have been included for premium subscribers which clearly differentiates between free and premium membership. This includes custom greetings and updated logos.
The TrackBox special offer: To make the transition easier, TrackBox would like to encourage free users of TrackBox to switch over to premium before the cut-off day to avoid a disruption in your service. You can do this by simply selecting the ‘Upgrade’ button which will now appear in your TrackBox App Menu, entering the special offer coupon code (IPROTECH), and following the prompts.
If you do not see an Upgrade Button, kindly update your app to make sure you have the latest version installed, or contact our Admin & App Support Centre on 08616-23646 / 08616-ADMIN.
TrackBox endeavours to make this ground breaking service available to you at a minimal cost in order to keep us running and it starts from R25.00 per month (was R55.00 pm).
Additionally, we are running a promotion which encourages you to sign up to TrackBox Premium before the 20th of July 2018 and stand a chance to win an iProtech intelligent protection device to the value of R4999,00 plus a 6 months subscription to TrackBox Premium.
An iProtech unit is the next step in non-lethal self-defence. A small lightweight device that genetically marks the perpetrator with an indistinguishable DNA marker, combined with a UV fluid and pepper spray – not only fends of the immediate danger, but alerts those who can assist. For more info visit https://iprotech.co.za
Upgrade to TrackBox Premium and stand a chance to Win!!
Upgrade to TrackBox Premium and stand a chance to Win!!
I trust that you are well and having a positive day.
The TrackBox app has been running on a limited trial period for the past several months whereby all users have been able to have access to the full premium functionality. This has allowed us to tap in to the now 20 500+ App Users and make sure South Africa is getting exactly what it needs, while harnessing technology to bring it all together in a ground-breaking way. In order for us to continue running this valuable service however, the time has now come to separate the full features from those members who are on the NPO free Emergency Response and Prevention Centre (ERPC) versions which will have limited use of the app.
The official cut-off will be effective from 28 July 2018. Any user who has not upgraded to the Premium membership will automatically be switched over to the NPO Free version of TrackBox while those who are already premium members will not be effected in any way.
The free NPO membership is limited in several ways, most prominent of which is that the emergency panic button becomes an automatic call to your selected ERPC or the SAPS dependant on the way your ERPC is set up. For a full list and comparison of services visit https://trackbox.world/trackbox-package-comparison/
In your TrackBox app, go to the Menu (three white lines at the top lefthand corner)
Select UPGRADE
Choose Premium
4. Select your Province
Select our ERPC
Complete your details
Select Checkout and follow the prompts
Special Offer:
Upgrade before the 20th July 2018, Enter the coupon code (IPROTECH) and stand a chance to win an iProtech intelligent protection device to the value of R4999,00 plus a 6 months subscription to TrackBox Premium. For more information visit https://url.ie/12f77
Upgrade to TrackBox Premium and stand a chance to Win!!
If you require any assistance please contact our app support centre directly on 08616-23646 / 08616-ADMIN
It has come to our attention that a number of members have not selected the correct ERPC when setting up the app. This is absolutely crucial to ensure that the correct emergency response teams are called upon, nearest to you within your hour of need. Team, I cannot stress enough the importance of selecting your ERPC and ensuring all of your information is up to date and accurate up front when setting up the app. In a crisis situation every second counts, and it is exactly at this time that being able to have full access to your relevant personal information, and chosen ERPC is imperative to ensure a fast reaction time.
HAVE YOU CHOSEN THE CORRECT ERPC?
Please make sure that you have selected the correct ERPC organisation that represents you. This will ensure a minimal delay in service and emergency response and that you receive the relevant alerts and information processes pertaining to your community.
NB: If you do not select the correct ERPC, please expect delays during an emergency or calls for support.
How to select an ERPC network:
In your TrackBox app, go to the Menu (three white lines at the top lefthand corner)
Select My Vault
Select Billing
Select either the Free or Premium membership option
Select the Province that you reside in
Select your ERPC
If you require any assistance please contact our app support centre directly on 08616-23646 / 08616-ADMIN
If you don’t see your community listed on our ERPC selection and would like to get involved, please reach out to our app support centre by calling 08616-23646 / 08616-ADMIN or emailing us on Admin@TrackBox.World
I trust that you are happy, healthy and having a wonderful day.
Team, from all of us in the ERPC (Emergency Response & Prevention Centre) Collaboration Network, a massive THANK YOU for your continued support towards achieving our collective dreams and passions as well as your teamwork.
We have recently introduced and activated a few updates to the TrackBox app such as Language selection, Nag system, Premium membership and Upgrade functionality all of which help to ensure your TrackBox app is performing optimally. To ensure that you have access to all of these features, please upgrade your app to the latest version - available on the app store (Android) or iStore (Apple).
Over the next 4 emails, we will be unpacking each of these updates and providing step by step instructions to ensure you are getting the most out of your TrackBox app.
ERPC Language Selection (Coming Soon):
We are proud to announce that we have recently started introducing a new language selection feature which will allow you to view and use your TrackBox app in either Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans or English. This will also mean that your calls to the ERPC will automatically be routed to dispatchers speaking the language of your choice.
How to select your language:
In your TrackBox app, go to the Menu (three white lines at the top lefthand corner)
Select My Vault
Select Language Selection
Select your preferred language (Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans or English)
Note: If you have not made any selection your language will default to English.
Please note that this feature is still in progress for Zulu and Xhosa. While you will already be able to communicate with the ERPC in your preferred language, you may not immediately see the updated language on the app itself.
If you require any assistance please contact our app support centre directly on 08616-23646 / 08616-ADMIN.
Please complete the below form and one of our support representatives will reach out to register you telephonically after which you will receive an sms with your login details.
The Nag system checks for the following in order of priority:
HAVE YOU CHOSEN THE CORRECT ERPC? 
