The topic of which tool is better or safer for handling snakes has been a hot topic among Herpetologists, Venomous Snake Keepers, and providers of Snake Handling Training. On the one side, a “hands-free” approach is encouraged to reduce snakebites on Snake Handlers using snake tongs, and on the other side, a gentler approach using a snake hook is encouraged as it is easier on the snakes with a reduction in injured animals by inexperienced or adrenaline-fuelled snake catchers. Both tools, the snake hook and snake tongs have their own merits, but we do not condone the idea of a snake tong being the tool of choice for every snake encounter. We believe that many people use fear to sell snake tongs instead of snake hooks due to the better profit margins on these pieces of equipment.
1. What causes snakebites in Snake Handlers?
In an article written by Raymond Hoser (2009) they believe that snakes bite people due to painful stimulus or due to fear of pain due to a prior painful experience, or just fear in general. This also explains why roadkill snakes are often found biting at themselves or are found dead with their body still clenched in their mouths. We very often see photos of individuals holding a heavy-bodied Puff Adder with a snake tong clenched behind the head with the body hanging so that they can get that “cool” shot not knowing or caring what pain or injuries they are busy inflicting on that animal. We have also seen how snakes squirm and fight when restrained in a snake tong. When we conduct training for Snake Handlers we use snake hooks and snakes are most of the time way more relaxed and easier to work with. We believe that handling snakes is almost like dancing for the first time if you work gently, calmly, and treat the snake with respect the snake in turn will have a much calmer demeanor. We are not saying you will not get bitten, accidents do happen, but a calm snake is less likely to bite than an injured or scared snake being clamped with a snake tong! In this article, Hoser concludes that to reduce bites, snakes need to be placed into suitable containers as quickly and pain-free as possible and the use of restraints should only be used if necessary. This sentiment is shared by Indian Herpetologists in an article by Tamil Nadu (2021) in The Hindu newspaper.
Hoser mentions two instances in this article where snakes have died after the use of snake tongs:
“It occurred in 2007 during a so-called snake handling course, conducted by newly licensed novice snake handler Sean McCarthy in Victoria. The 13-odd participants including Grant were made to pick up an adult Tiger Snake using a set of tongs. According to Grant, the snake was agitated and in pain and when grabbed by the tongs would try to bite anything that came close to its mouth. Midway through the handling, as in after about half the participants had used tongs to grab the struggling snake, the pain inflicted on the snake became so intense that it turned and bit itself. The snake allegedly subsequently died as a result of injuries sustained by the tong grabbing.”
“On 24 April 2008, a resident of Flowerdrum Crescent Templestowe caught an adult female Tiger Snake by using a set of tongs as sold from Sean McCarthy’s website. The snake was not aggressive in any way until grabbed with the tongs and bit them repeatedly. Within an hour of being lifted with the tongs and placed in a wheelie bin, the snake had died a painful death. An autopsy revealed broken ribs around the heart/lung area and severe internal bleeding, complications from the latter being a likely cause of death.”
2. What is the safest way to catch a snake?
The best thing to do when a snake is encountered is to simply leave the snake alone. It is not always necessary to catch the snake no matter how scared you are. They are wild animals that belong in the environment around you to maintain the ecological balance. However, there are situations where human and snake encounters validate the snake being captured e.g. when a snake enters a home, a venomous snake living in an area with high human traffic especially close to children, etc.
We believe that using a snake hook, of an appropriate length for the situation, to quickly hook and tail the snake (not Puff Adders) before placing it in an escape-proof container like a snake tube or snake bucket is the safest method for both human and snake. For very active snakes the raking method can be used to tire them out before tailing them. Snake tongs have their place for Snake Handlers when trying to capture snakes e.g. when working in confined spaces, when trying to neck species like Black Mambas (not something that should be attempted for that awesome photo, the risk of envenomation is high!), or when trying to just momentarily get a grip on a snake that is out of reach but a soon as the snake is an area where safer handling is possible rather switch to a snake hook.
If you are new to snake capturing or venomous snake keeping, please consider completing a Snake Handling course before you purchase an expensive snake grab and injure your snakes!
Reference
Hoser, R. 2009. Pain Makes Venomous Snakes Bite Humans. Australasian Journal of Herpetology, 5(2009): 1-21
Nadu, T. 2021. Experts against use of tongs while handling snakes. [Online] Available: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/experts-against-use-of-tongs-while-handling-snakes/article35187919.ece. (Accessed: 08/07/2022)