The environmental awareness course topic today is an introduction to venomous snakes – including how to treat a venomous bite.

So, first things first – Forest Cobra.

Forest Cobra handling and the importance of using the sticks

Followed by a Puff Adder, a short snake with a big bite.

Paul the puff adder

Everyone then got the chance to touch the puff adder, but only if they want to – we don’t force anybody!! Very few people get the chance to touch a puff adder, and when they do they are always surprised with quite how soft they are.

Don't worry mums and dads, the puff adder has been made safe in special tubing.

Scorpions are abundant in South Africa, so we teach the students how to distinguish between the two types, deadly and not so deadly. It is quite easy, big pincers and little tail is good, big tail and little pincers are bad.

And spiders. We know that the college has lots of spiders and tarantulas and so we show off a couple of indigenous spiders and our favourite non-indigenous one Curly.

Some scared faces as Curly the Curly-haired tarantula comes out to play

More than one person decided to overcome their fear with Curly

There was also a chance to get some pictures of a rubber frog and some bullfrogs who we rudely woke up

Then it was time to cuddle bob and fluffy our resident red-tail boas.

Our little male boa - Bob

All the other pictures can be seen in Fluffy’s Photo Album on facebook.