My Neighborhood Watch #91 - Reporting Events Around us

Seen a snake with lights on its head before? I saw one a few ago. It's actually a python, a baby python, and you know how big and large pythons are. How come about it? I was just walking with my friends on our way home. We stumbled on a crowd of people who gathered round something on the floor.

I actually thought it was all these local bushmeats someone caught from its trap until I moved closer and closer and got a clearer view that there wasn't any common bushmeat but a big viper. I thought it was a python before, but they explained to me that it's not a python but a viper. Its skin actually blends with the ground that I barely could recognise it because of its colour.

The Viper was damn big but not as long as I expected. I was like, who could possibly kill this snake? Because mere seeing it, I would have taken to my heels. The villagers were smiling and rejoicing that they caught a delicious meat. I only went close to it from far to snap. See as people held it with their hands.

The size of the head was enlarged, and the large part of its body shows it has swallowed an animal, which could possibly be a squirrel. I was asked - Do you eat this kind of meat? I said, God forbid I do such a thing. They ask again.... Why don't you eat this meat that eats just sand and other animals, but you eat dogs, pigs, and goats that eat dirt and faeces?

I was speechless, but I told them the image of this snake in my mind won't allow me to eat it. They asked again, Do you know that if this viper is prepared very well, you won't know it's a snake? I replied, Why won't I know? They said because it resembles fish and it's more proteinous than eating fish itself.

I was like, nooooo. They told me if I were to eat this viper, I wouldn't hunger for fish anymore. I told them it's a lie and that I can't do that. They then narrated their experience of how they ate python at a restaurant without knowing. It was later they came to realise it was a snake, and it was like medicine after death to them.

Ever since then, they had a liking for snakes. They then told me about the snake and its name. This viper they killed is a baby viper of its class, and the mother is 12 feet. I was like? 12 feet of snake? They said it is as long as that with a small head and fat body. Two wraps of its body around your own body can kill you on the spot. It also has a flat and broad head to consume its prey.

Though its mouth is small, it's elastic in nature and can swallow human beings too without even first tearing them. This Viper species is called IKOOM* in our language and Gaboon Viper in English. I've never seen a Viper before. It was my first time. They said, How lucky am I to see one of the deadliest snakes in the world with the longest fangs and the most poisonous venoms?

The truth about it is that it barely hurt humans, except they attacked first, and that long rectangular line you're seeing on its body is its connector light. At night, it produces lights that shine for it to see. I'm just imagining having an encounter with this kind of snake at night. Certainly can't. The experiences I've heard over the years are those of pythons but not my own experience.

One of my friends once reported that he was in his parlour reading at night till the light was turned off. After fiddling with his phone for a while, he took a torch to his room to lay his head on his bed. Behold, a large 6-foot python was on top of his bed in cuddles. God... The sight of it alone would have killed me. He stools his ground by bringing sharp objects to chase it away, as he doesn't want to kill it.

He was like, How did the python enter his house and lie on its bed? The window net was open. After many threats to keep the python alert, the python crawled out through the window with the speed of light. He told us that was how he was saved that night because he normally doesn't carry light to his room.

He would have just pounced on the python on the verge of sleeping and then ehweeeee. Thank God for light. Another incident is that of my sister, who wanted to come to the sitting room to watch a movie. As she was in the lobby about to open the door to the sitting room, NEPA took their light.

Since everywhere was dark and we were looking for a torch or phone light to see, she remained where she was until they brought back the light. As the light was brought back, my brother screamed....See snake. The snake was directly under her legs. Oh my, my sister nearly collapsed as she bent and saw it very close to her legs. She sprang to the available chair in shock and then fainted. It was so funny, but she recovered from the shock after a while.

Another experience is that of my neighbour, who wanted to scoop food for her children to eat as dinner. In an attempt to open a full pot of soup, she saw a rattlesnake cuddling inside the soup. She immediately took to her heels with shock and called all the neighbours to her house to help her kill the snake. Jeezzzzzzzz.... Snake inside a pot? How did I enter? You know women don't usually keep their pots completely closed to avoid spoilage for those who don't have a refrigerator. They keep it slightly open for air.

All the surrounding neighbours, including me, who are afraid of snakes, came to see what was going on. Behold, the snake was killed because it was weak inside the pot of soup. If it were the woman, I wouldn't have cooked using that pot ever again. In fact, cooking in the kitchen will remind me of such.

This is what happened in my neighbourhood last Saturday. If you can, research the viper snake and see other information about it. I imagine how people rear snakes.

I invite @artist1111, @okere-blessing and @goodybest

Cc;
@xkool24