I committed a bit of a Mongolian faux-pas yesterday. The days a getting warmer here which means our time of snake-free enjoyment of the Gobi has come to an end. I walked into the office ger in the afternoon to find a lethargic and probably confused snake, recently emerged from hibernation, coiled up on the linoleum.
Let me say at this point that I have nothing against snakes in general, as long as they stay outside. Garter snakes in New Brunswick inspire curiosity and are even kind of cute. A Siberian pit viper in my place of work, however, is another mater. I take a rather dim view of cold-blooded, mindlessly aggressive things with neuro-toxin filled fangs; call me prejudiced…
For lack of a better, immediate option (honestly) I acquainted the problematic little serpent with the business-end of my rock hammer. In my defense, let me also state that these are not endangered animals in Mongolia. I sort of thought of it like a mouse; a pest to be eradicated. I wouldn’t bludgeon-to-death the last dodo or anything.
As it happens snakes are revered in Mongolia as powerful entities. Apparently killing them brings bad luck (I would argue however, that if you find a Siberian pit viper on your floor, that the bad luck has already arrived…). I was told in no uncertain terms, not to kill anymore snakes, but to relocate them outside. They failed to provide any helpful hints as to how I might accomplish this however. In the future I will endeavor to abide by local custom and simply coax the venomous little fellow back to his desert home, using praise and gentle cooing noises.
S.
6 comments:
If that's the only social faux-pas you've made, I'd say you were doing really well!
It occurs to me that as long as no one knows you've killed a snake, you are in the clear. You just have to solve the classic murder-mystery conundrum: how to dispose of the body and get away with murder!
...or you could just do what I do with spiders:
1: Find a suitable sized box/plastic container and a large piece of stiff cardboard.
2: Throw box over spider, slide board under the box, lift, carry and throw the thing a long way away!
3: Pluck up the courage to retrieve the (hopefully) empty box for use the next time.
Incidentally, how big are these snakes? M x
I had a box, by nothing large and flat to slide underneath. We need to make sort of snake-extraction kit.
Funny that the first thing you likely tried didn't scare the thing outside.... I have heard that screaming like a little girl would usually scare a snake off.
Good thing you had Plan B of a rock hammer.
I reserve screaming like a little girl for rock climbing...
I also use Mitch's technique, however, if the spider is abnormally scary, once in the box, I then wrap it up in gift wrapping, no information regarding the box's contents, and mail it to someone.
Not sure if that would be legal with a pit viper (attempted manslaughter comes to mind).
Good one Stu! Given out little viper issue here in camp, I thought all sorts of good fun could be had with a four foot long rubber snake. Something to bring with me on my next rotation.
Post a Comment