Eendag, lank gelede is ‘n laerskoolseuntjie na die hoof se kantoor geroep omdat hy glo ‘n maatjie wou “rol”. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
N\u00e1 ‘n kort ondersoek het die waarheid uitgekom, die seuntjie het nie aangeval nie, maar ingegryp toe ‘n groep kinders ‘n bloukop-koggelmander met klippe bestook het.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Daardie seuntjie was Ettienne Swanepoel (58) van Velddrif, vandag bekend in die Weskus-gemeenskap as die man wat jy bel wanneer ‘n slang gevang, ‘n vo\u00ebl gered moet word of ‘n beseerde dier hulp nodig het. Vir baie is hy eenvoudig die go-to slangvanger en natuurbewaarder.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Weslander het met Swanepoel gesels oor sy lewenslange passie vir die natuur en bewaring, ‘n roeping wat reeds op skoolbanke begin het en vandag ‘n groot deel van sy daaglikse lewe opneem.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Die eerste opdrag wat God aan die mens gegee het, is om na die aarde en diere daarop te kyk,” het Swanepoel vertel en verduidelik dat natuurbewaring nie net ‘n passie vir hom is nie, maar dat dit ook sy roeping is. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Swanepoel het grootgeword in Krugersdorp, Gauteng, maar woon vir die afgelope 26 jaar in die Weskus. “N\u00e1 skool wou ek bitter graag natuurbewaring gaan studeer, maar in daai era was die persepsie dat jy in so ‘n beroep nie geld maak nie,” vertel hy. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Swanepoel, wat ook ‘n kreatiewe kant het, het in die grafiese-ontwerp-bedryf sy eie onderneming gehad in sy geboortedorp en nadat hy verhuis het Weskus toe, daarmee voortgegaan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ongelukkig het die onderneming nie so goed gevaar as wat beplan is nie en hy dien tans die kli\u00ebnte wat getrou by hom gebly het van sy huis in Velddrif af.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Ek dink die Skepper weet wat Sy plan is met my en met geen formele opleiding nie leef ek my passie uit om Sy natuur te bewaar,” het Swanepoel vertel en genoem dat die passie omtrent 80% van sy dag opneem en as daar ‘n slang te vang, ‘n vo\u00ebltjie te red of ‘n diertjie is wat seergekry het, is hy net ‘n oproep ver.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Die loon wat jy uit jou passie werf is meer waardevol as enige inkomste uit aansien verwerf”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Opleiding:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sowat agt jaar gelede het Swanepoel op ‘n plaas in Elandsbaai gewerk waar ‘n kobra hom amper gepik het. Hy het kort daarna ingeskryf vir ‘n slanghanteringskursus by Exotic Animal World waar hy opgelei is hoe om alle soorte slange te vang en in hul natuurlike habitat vry te laat. Hy het sy platform, Dwarskersbos Snake Rescue & Conservation, geskep en is gewild in die Weskus as slanghanteerder en natuurbewaarder. Swanepoel is ook lid van die African Snakebite Institute en het ook ‘n wettige permit vir slanghantering en vrylating van Cape Nature.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Bewaring begin met opvoeding. Ek gebruik my sosialemedia-platform om almal te help om die belangrikheid van alle wilde lewende wesens te verstaan,” vertel hy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Swanepoel is gevra om uit te brei oor die slange in die Weskus en het genoem dat die Kaapse kobra, boomslang en pofadder van die giftigste slange in die omgewing is. Tydens die slangseisoen wat strek van Augustus tot April, het hy reeds sowat 79 slange gevang.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Slange hou van skuiling en koelte. Dit gebeur soms met onwikkelings dat slange gesteur word in hul natuurlike habitat en hulle soek dan ‘n ander plek vir skuiling. Enige plek waar daar koelte, kos en water is kan jy heel moontlik ‘n slang aantref.”\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vir die gemeenskap wat ‘n slang in hul huis of tuin gewaar, is Swanepoel se raad as volg:\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Probeer so goed as wat jy kan om nie die slang uit die oog te verloor nie. Slange is rats en kan vinnig verdwyn.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Beveilig mense en troeteldiere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Moenie self probeer om die slang te vang of te hanteer nie, skakel dadelik ‘n slanghanteerder.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Teengif moet slegs deur mediese personeel toegedien word en noodnommers moet dus vinnig toeganklik wees. Kontak Ettienne Swanepoel by 082 066 3911 vir meer inligting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Weslander het met Swanepoel gesels oor sy lewenslange passie vir die natuur en bewaring, ‘n roeping wat reeds op skoolbanke begin het en vandag ‘n groot deel van sy daaglikse lewe 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