Sanctuary For Snakes

Our farm is a sanctuary for snakes.  And they do good work too, getting rid of rats and other rodents.  Our workers are from communities which traditionally kill any snake, big or small, poisonous or not.  We have to put up pictures of snakes they should not kill, and snakes they should keep a distance from:

A sampling of the good guys found in the farm.

Among the poisonous snakes in  the farm is the fifth most venomous snake in the world -  Malayan Krait - Blue Krait.  It is 15 times more venomous than a cobra.

The snakes are becoming quite used to humans, slithering slowly away when they see us, not at all afraid.

Workers have been trained to let the snakes know of their presence, and how to handle the snakes if they suddenly become aggressive.  They have also been trained to handle situations if an emergency occurs.

We hope this will explain why we are reluctant to take on Wwoofers, casual visitors, etc.  We have seen visitors just go into hysterics on seeing a snake suddenly appearing right next to them, inches away.

Today, I was reaching out to unlock a gate that I have done maybe a few thousand times.  Most days I just reach out without looking.  Luckily today, I did look when my hand was almost at the latch:

It is a beauty, isn't it.

It is a Paradise Flying Snake Chrysopelea paradisi. Mildly venomous. We have seen them gliding from tree to tree in the farm.  They like especially coconut trees and other palm trees, especially areca nut palm.  The colors of the snake blends well with the tree.