“Snakes Are Not Your Friends”: Brave Little Girl Shows Off Her Snake-Handling Skills, SA Divided

• Snakes are among the most feared creatures in the world, but for one brave nine-year-old girl, they are nothing to be afraid of
• A brother shared a video of his little sister Nonopha on Facebook, confidently holding a small snake, explaining that she only touches harmless ones
• The clip left social media users divided, with some warning her to stay away from snakes while others saw a future zoologist in the making
• Briefly News spoke with snake handler Denzel Nncube about handling the feared reptiles

Many people have an intense fear of snakes, avoiding them at all costs, but one little girl seems to see them differently.

A man, Facebook user Samukelo_Shabane, shared a video of his nine-year-old sister Nonopha showing off her love for reptiles, confidently handling a green snake. While many would rather not come across snakes, snake handlers say their lack of education about them is what causes fear.

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Young snake lover shows how to handle one

In the video, Nonopha is seen carefully picking a small, green snake from the ground and bringing it closer as she speaks. The young girl explains that she only handles harmless snakes because she is still young. Her love for reptiles seems to run in the family, as her older brother is also passionate about snakes.

Watch the Facebook video below:

Handling snakes like a pro

The Briefly News team spoke with snake rescuer Denzel Ncube about safely the snake handling field. We asked him how can one tell if a snake is harmless or dangerous. He said:

"To tell if the snake is venomous or harmless, you can use the head shape. The venomous snakes have a triangular shape because of their venom glands being on the corners of the head and the harmless ones have an oval head shape because of the lack of venom glands.

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Venomous snakes hardly shine, whereas the harmless ones usually shine more like Brown House snakes."

We asked the man if it was safe for young kids to handle snakes. Denzel responded:

"It’s in both ways, safe and not safe, she can be safe when handling non-venomous snakes and not be safe while handling venomous snakes, as long as the child is under good supervision of someone who can identify them well and be able to differentiate."

The team asked the snake handler what advice he had for people who fear snakes. The expert shared:

"The advice I can give to people who fear snakes is that they should engage more on awarenesses and practice mindfulness and relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, or progressive muscle relaxation can help reduce anxiety when thinking about snakes.

Imagine yourself in a calm situation involving snakes, gradually increasing the intensity of the scenario."

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Mzansi debates about the little girl's love for reptiles

The video sparked a flood of reactions, with many social media users warning her that snakes were not her friends and that she should stay away from them. Some questioned how she could tell which ones were harmless, while others saw great potential in her passion.

They encouraged her to get proper education and training, saying she could become a snake rescuer or even a zoologist in the future.

User @Sibusiso Nhlozi asked:

"How do you even know which one is harmless 😮😮😮"

User @Lijan Harrison Reptile Rescue said:

"Absolutely amazing. It's our job as parents to teach our children not to fear what we do not know, but to educate them. The difference between fear and beauty is knowledge. Well done to this young wildlife warrior's parents. And you are a little rockstar young lady."

User @Gordon Thomas added:

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"Follow your dream girl. You're gonna go far in life. You get taught which snake is poisonous."

User @ungisile Maninjwa commented:

"One day is one day, snakes are not your friends."

User @Bafana Thela

"Be careful nana."

User @Siphesihle Mkhatshwa

"Go to school nana, leave snakes alone I beg you."

3 Other snake-related articles

• The Briefly News team spoke with 24-year-old Denzel Ncube about his incredible journey into the challenging and scary world of snake handling.
• A KZN snake handler named Sarel Van der Merve was called to rescue a three-metre python after it was seen playing hide-and-seek in the bushes in Munster.
• A man bought a tray of eggs from one of the local popular grocery stores and found a snake lying comfortably inside, shocking many social media users.

Proofreading by Roxanne Dos Ramos, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News