Like father, like s-s-s-son
MANY a boy wants to follow in his father’s footsteps – but for young Mason Daniel, this means coming to grips with venomous snakes.
Mason (11) is the son of noted local snake catcher Peter ‘Daring’ Daniel, who often features in rescue acts published in the ZO.
Ever since he was five years old, Mason has been captivated by creatures most children would fear, and through study, training and experience he is slowly becoming skilled at the art of snake capture and release.
This includes attending and passing a snake handling course with his dad, which involved the physical handling of green mamba, Cape cobra and puff adder species.
“Mason has such a passion for animals in general. “The minute my phone rings and he hears it's a snake call, he runs and puts the equipment in the car and comes along,” says Peter.
“On arrival, he is usually the first to spot the snake and identify it.
“So far, this snake season has started off a bit slowly for me, but for Mason it is going well. He caught an olive grass snake at a residence in Ngwelezana, which was a female and measured
1.6m.
“The next call was at the University of Zululand - another olive grass snake, but this time a one metre male. On Sunday night, we got a call for a snake in a house in Meerensee - a female brown house snake that measured 600mm.”
Peter, who is slightly miffed at the fact that Mason’s hero is ‘Fearless’ Fred Lubbe and not himself, is hoping Mason will inspire
the next generation to educate themselves over the role snakes play in the environment, to help protect them, to learn about the various non-venomous or dangerous species, and to get rid of irrational fears.
Peter and his young protégé, now known as ‘The Snakemason’, can be contacted on 076 0516420 in case of emergencies.