The Eco Club has a group of learners who have a keen interest in reptiles! This herping group will be having two get-togethers per term, where they will either go on outings to look for and identify any snakes, lizards, frogs, toads and tortoises they may encounter, or they will have a speaker that will present topics such as snake identification and snakebite first aid. The idea of the group is to educate learners and also to help those with a fear of snakes to overcome this through education, in a safe environment. Our very own Matric learner, Giorgio Pesto, and Mrs Baisley are both keen ‘herpers’, and well trained in snake handling and identification, and they will be running this group within the Eco Club.
The group’s first outing was to the Brenton area, on the Western Head. Although there weren’t many exciting finds, the learners still enjoyed a fun and educational outing. Giorgio brought along some of his own non-venomous exotic snakes, and the learners had the opportunity to handle them, ask questions and learn about the scale patterns, scent organs and diets of snakes.
