Monday, March 12, 2007


This is Mikhol, one of our workers and son of our caretaker. Today while working down by the river Mikhol found this poisonous snake, a Terciopelo or Fer-de-Lance as it is known. He calls Phil on the cell phone and wants to know, do we want him to catch it or kill it?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

What to do if you encounter a snake? Walk around the snake giving it a little berth—six feet is plenty. Leave it alone and don’t try to catch it. Remember: indiscriminately killing snakes disturbs the ecological balance and in Costa Rica snakes are protected under the law, Ley de Conservacion de Fauna Silvestre #6919.

Ginnee Hancock said...

That is great advice, but does not work well for men in the jungle. There is not 6 feet of open space in the thicket of a jungle and much of it is verticle. Boas are welcomed, they feel differently about Fer de Lance.

I try not to judge what they must do to survive their immediate situation.