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[Black and white photograph of a man holding two snakes.]

Photograph by Melville Chater

BIG, BLACK JOHANNES WITH TWO OF HIS COBRA CHARGES

Although this well-known character has chaperoned as many as 2,000 reptilian residents at a time at Port Elizabeth's Snake Park, the only time he really hated snakes was when he was fined for carelessness in allowing himself to be bitten

As many as 2,000 reptilian residents at a time have been chaperoned in the park by big, black, snakeskin-bedecked Johannes, who will toy with 11-foot pythons or extract puff-adder venom while you wait. I imagine that the only time Johannes really hated snakes was when, having marvelously escaped death by a puff-adder's fangs, he was fined ten shillings for his carelessness in being bitten (see p. 424).

THE YOUTHFUL "SNAKE STEALERS' SYNDICATE"

The director will tell you of hunger-striking snakes who, refusing food while in captivity, are coaxed to eat by being placed in surroundings suggestive of their native habitat; or of the deadly black mamba, who can outspeed a man, and whose bite means death within the hour; or of the considerable success of blended snake venom as a cure for malaria and epilepsy.

Or he will relate, with a twinkle in his eye, the escapade of the "Snake Stealers' Syndicate." This consisted of three Port Elizabeth kids who lacked pocket money for sundaes and eskimo pies. Nightly these bare-legged youngsters would scale the Snake Park's walls, corral deadly adders and cobras in pillowcases, and sell them back to the director next day as new specimens. When caught red-handed they were given reformatory sentences, but some folks thought they ought to have received the Victoria Cross instead.