In 2019, I visited Rwanda and a few days in Kigali before joining a small Overseas Adventure group to visit the country, see some wild animal parks, but most importantly, to see endangered Mountain gorillas! I hired a driver to take me around Kigali and he took me to a museum that had a small but complete herpetarium. No one else was there and the curator patiently showed me around and discussed the various snakes. I will forever be grateful for his kindness and the information that he gave me. each snake had a distinct personality. All were under his charge and he cared for each and everyone almost as though they were his children. Below are some of his charges!
Rwanda Boomslang – venomous
Rwanda cobra – venomous
Rwanda Green vine snake – venomous
Thailand Rat snake – non venomous
Thailand cobra with snake handler – venomous
Galapagos Tortoise
Galapagos Iguana
Colombia tree frog
Galapagos tortoise
Uganda Nile River orange/black lizard
Indonesia Komodo dragon – venomous – largest one known named Hercules walking towards me at about 20 feet! (venomous)
Indonesia Komodo dragon claws
Indonesia Bali Brown Mabuya skink (Europis multifasciata balinesis)
On March 5,2020, I was just finishing up a bird watching trip with Alicia (my college friend) in the high Andes remote cloud forest in Colombia. I had been told that the area was snake infested, but having been there for a number of days without seeing a snake, I thought it unlikely that I would. Fer De Lance snakes are pit vipers causing hemorrhaging with surrounding tissue quickly becoming necrotic. They are the most dangerous snake in Central and South American and one bit releases enough venom to kill 50 adults! They are nocturnal and aggressive. I knew all of this, so you can image my excitement when as I was about to step onto the veranda to go to breakfast just before dawn, my flashlight spotted this snake about 2 feet from my foot! It was beautifully marked and relaxed. I suspect it was digesting a meal. I could easily see that it would be very difficult to see on the forest floor with such camophlage. Although the light was dim, I guessed it was about a meter long. I took about 100 photos of it before telling the people in the kitchen. I asked them not to kill it, but when I had finished breakfast, it had been removed…what a birthday present!!
In 2019, I was walking among Roman ruins in Caesarea, Israel, and I caught sight of this Roughtail rock agama as it peeked out from a large crevice in the rocks. It retreated quickly as people gathered round to hear a guide talk about archaeology of the area.. Once they left, I stood very still hoping that it would reappear and with patience, it did and I was able to get a photo! It probably was about 10 to 12 inches in length.
susanvanetten 
You like them I hate them Good pho’s
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Thank you so much for visiting kandt House Museum.
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