Submitted on Sunday, February 22 @ 06:22:47 UTC by Grant Can you see the cryptic and highly venomous puff adder snake? (Bitis arietans)
Observations from the personal film archives of Grant M. Mc Ilrath - A.K.A - The Meerkat Man from The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project in The Meerkat Magic Valley Reserve which forms the territory of The Ungulungu Wild and Free meerkat / meerkats / suricate / suricates range.
This beautiful female puff adder (Bitis arietans) basks daily next to a pathway I use in The Meerkat Magic Valley Reserve. Snakes unfortunately are often misunderstood and persecuted or simply killed, simply for being themselves. Imagine this lack of tolerance towards humans? Every species is protected in the reserve, even though the puff adder is one of the most dangerous of all the predators who actively hunt meerkats among other prey.
Puff adders are a natural and critically important species in this ecosystem - and should be left unharmed by any humans who encounter them in their own natural habitat - they are not hunting people of course.
I find puff adders fascinating since even though they actively hunt and kill meerkats, and meerkats can kill them, meerkats almost always will not kill this snake species, but rather move away after investigating it - and yet humans will frequently kill this snake when it has done nothing to them at all - even though it is not hunting humans. I believe that through understanding wildlife, humans will have a greater sensitivity to all species that we share our world with.
The puff adder is highly cryptic - very well camouflaged and is commonly an ambush predator - it waits for prey to move past it, relying on it's extremely fast strike and camouflage.
As is the case with many other snake species, the puff adder will often give a warning to a potential threat to avoid an encounter - I have often been warned by a puff adder through the use of it's blowing air out in a hissing sound. By alerting me to it's location it is clearly attempting to avoid confrontation and not simply attack.
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CONSERVATION THROUGH EDUCATION IS ESSENTIAL
Grant M. Mc Ilrath- A.K.A - The Meerkat Man with school pupils living near The Meerkat Magic Valley Reserve after a charity Conservation Through Education film presentation from Lategansvlei Primary Farm School in Oudtshoorn, Western Cape of South Africa.
Conservation Through Education is essential - for every person who tells another about the plight of Wild and Free meerkats and their habitat loss through destroying of their sleeping burrows, pesticides on their food, and the illegal in most areas pet trade we can help conserve the meerkat and it's habitat - all it takes is spreading the word to help achieve our goal.
Every Wild and Free meerkat / suricate conservation supporter is asked to help spread an increasing awareness about conserving Wild and Free meerkats / suricates and their habitat- being in our cause is FREE and the objective is to encourage CONSERVATION THROUGH EDUCATION - so for every additional person who joins our cause, we are achieving this goal - thank you!
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YOU CAN NOW ADOPT / SPONSOR WILD AND FREE MEERKATS / SURICATES WITH THE MEERKAT MAGIC CONSERVATION PROJECT AND HELP TO PROTECT THE WILD AND FREE MEERKAT / SURICATE IN THEIR NATURAL HABITAT AROUND OUDTSHOORN IN THE WESTERN CAPE OF SOUTH AFRICA - VISIT OUR WILD WEBSITE TO FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN MAKE A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE FOR WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AND RESEARCH WORK * The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project meerkat magic meerkat meerkats suricate suricates video film diaries. Another unedited Wildlife Film by Grant M. Mc Ilrath - A.K.A - The Meerkat Man from The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project. We bring you the REAL wildlife film - no post editing or pre-determined scripting or set ups, as if you are there watching the wildlife through our eyes - an unedited wildlife documentary behind the scenes and science. Filmed in The Meerkat Magic Valley at The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project in Oudtshoorn, Western Cape of South Africa. None of the animals at The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project are ever fed, handled, captured or experimented on - EVER! It takes thousands of hours and many years to gain this very special selective tolerance and trust from the Wild and Free animals we study here. Visit them for real today! Now you can Watch Wild Meerkats / suricates on your very personalised unedited wildlife documentary like Tour, where Grant M. Mc Ilrath - A.K.A - The Meerkat Man is your Nature Conservationist and Research Biologist guide who has been studyiing Wild meerkats / suricates in the wilderness full time since 1993 (and still going...), and has been working extensively with various international films and crews since then! Now you can experience The Meerkat Magic for yourself in Oudtshoorn, Western Cape of South Africa on a morning Sunrise Tour. This is an entirely self funded conservation project funded by Observe and Conserve Eco- Tourism. Funds raised go direclty towards protecting wildlife in their natural habitat and encouraging landowners not to destroy wildlife sleeping areas through ploughing, and not to poison their food. Subsidies are generated to compensate landowners and encourage them to work with our wildlife Conservation and Research in an Eco-Friendly and sustainable way. Employing Conservation Through Education practices and sponsoring many charity educational presentations The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project continues to make a positive difference to wildlife conservation and research resulting in an ever growing international public awareness. You may have seen Meerkat Manor or other meerkat / suricate films - now see Wild and Free meerkats / suricates for yourself on your own Tour! Very advanced bookings are essential. You can e-mail a booking information request to: gmmcilrath@mweb.co.za .Please visit The Wild Web Site - Your Wildlife Friendly Information Portal for pictures and detailed information of The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project - http://www.meerkatmagic.com
**NEWS FLASH** MEERKAT BOOK ON SALE NOW 2016: MEERKATS the conservation book by internationally published Author Grant M. Mc Ilrath The Meerkat Man is now on sale around the world.
Hardcover; 240 pages; photographs of the Kalahari meerkats and the Little Karoo meerkats; Publisher New Holland Publishers, 2016
ISBN 1921517654, 9781921517655
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