HA – we TOLD you the West Coast is a WILD wonderful place – WOES mooi, but also WOES woes . . . 
This beautiful puff adder ALSO loves the West Coast’s beaches and Langebaan Lagoon . . . and was spotted yesterday afternoon by Pretoria visitors Kate King (right front on pic) and family while strolling along the beach at Shark Bay.
Says Kate: “We were at Shark Bay near the Langebaan gate of the West Coast National Park. Took a quick walk on the beach there before we went back into the park. It was in a swimming area but we were just there for a stroll. My mom spotted it in the “waves” swimming towards the beach.
She and my sister-in-law made a rapid getaway but my dad, brother and I stuck around for a photo opportunity, not something you see everyday! Knowing a bit about Snakes, I knew that it would be tired from its swim and most probably cold so we had time to take the photos, it wasn’t going to just slither up and bite us! 
? ”
It seems snakes like this puffie are not uncommon along the West Coast’s beaches and rivers. Although they are characteristically non-aggressive and shy of people, it’s just another of those wild, WOESTE creatures along the West Coast that you have to LOVE and treat with cautious respect!
- Read more about the beauty & the beasts along the Woeste West Coast on:
http://www.weskusontheline.co.za/…/woes-mooi-en-soms-woes-…/
Groot verbasing ná pofadder uit die seewater by Langebaan te voorskyn kom
AND there’s MORE:
More coverage for the most famous Puff Adder in the land! Maryvonne Catherine Autret Williams Linda Williams Mark Patrick Williams Elsa Wessels
Beeld15 Dec 2016Vicus Bürger
Foto’s: SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA, FACEBOOK
Ná ’n uitmergelende jaar van plaagbeheer (deur rotte en muise te vang) verdien slang se kind mos ook ’n seevakansie, of hoe?
Die “vriendelike” pofadder wat Kate King gesien het terwyl sy in die Weskus Nasionale Park op die strand langs die Langebaan-strandmeer gestap het, stem dalk saam.
King, wat in Pretoria woon, het op Snakes of South Africa se Facebook-blad foto’s geplaas van ’n pofadder wat uit die soutwater kom.
Volgens haar het die “vriendelike pofadder” uitgeswem om te kom groet.
Johan Marais, ’n slangkenner van Pretoria en hoof van die African Snakebite Institute, sê dit is nie ’n ongewone verskynsel nie.
Volgens hom val slange byvoorbeeld in ’n rivier en word na die see weggespoel of jag op die strand en beland dan só in die see.
Marais sê seestrome kan slange ver in die see intrek.
“Ons het al in Angola luislange 40 km van die land af op die oliebore gekry.”
Slange kan volgens hom nie in die see jag of die soutwater drink nie.
Pofadders kom oor die land heen voor en hul gif is sitotoksies en vernietig weefsel.
“Dit lei tot pyn, swelling en in sommige gevalle kan die persoon wat gebyt is weefselskade opdoen.”
Gevalle waar mense deur pofadders gebyt word, is volgens Marais egter selde noodlottig.
Mense moet wel dringend mediese hulp kry wanneer hulle gebyt word.
WeskusonTheline Kan nie GLO Kate se slang het oornag tot binne-in radiostasies, Huisgenoot en Beeld geswem nie . . . 😉
