Snakes alive! Peter Snyman ‘at home’ with some friends

Press, 27 December 1979, Page 8

Snakes alive! Peter Snyman ‘at home’ with some friends

From

JOHN WOOD,

in London

There was one terrifying moment in the life of Peter Snyman when a

black mamba, more than four metres in length, wrapped itself around his neck ... And then promptly went to sleep.

For six hours the man who set out to sit alone with 24 of the world’s deadliest snakes just could not move. He also had to ensure that he did not fall asleep. As he explained after the event: “If I had fallen asleep and then awakened with a sudden start it

would have frightened the snake It is very likely that it would have bitten me

“If one of his fangs had penetrated my neck I would have been dead within 30 seconds. Luckily, the snake got tired of that position and finally he uncoiled himself and went to sleep in a corner.’’

For 36 days Peter Sny.man remained isolated in Is large glass cage while (thousands of onlookers come to watch him establish a new' world record in daring — to spend longer than any other human being has spent alone with such deadly snakes: 24 of them.

The only time he had a “rest” from his nervewracking ordeal was roughly half-an-hour during every 24-hour period which he spent in an adjoining lavaton. “I was never able to get more than four hours sleep at a time and I had to be always on the alert,” the 25-year-old Mr Snyman says. "You need a great deal of self-control.

“All the snakes were really poisonous. They had not been milked of their venom or poison, and even if we had done this the snakes would still have been deadly because the poison glands immediately begin to make more poison. It is also impossible to extract the fangs of the snakes — they would just die. “One of the biggest problems was that the snakes sometimes attacked

one another in my cage. Eight of the puffadders and one cobra had to be replaced after they had been bitten by their fellow snakes and, of course, died.

"Four of the large Egyptian cobras were eaten by their fellows for dinner. They are cannibals.”

What was Mr Snyman doing during the 36 days he spent with the snakes? “I spent a lot of time watching them and observing their habits. Each snake has its own personality and way of behaviour. I got to know them personally and gave them all names. They would sometimes wrap themselves around my leg or arm. They quickly got used to me, but the most important thing is to have confidence in yourself and not to show any sign of fear.

"There were, of course, many tense moments. My biggest problem was that the snakes would attack me when frightened. I knew that as long as I did not frighten them, I was

safe. They had no reason to attack me. “The thing that worried me were the spectators who came to watch. They used to move about and this sometimes made my room-mates very nervous. “Once, a young girl fan past the cage unexpectedly, waving her arms. I don’t know why she did it. A black mamba who was sharing my bed reacted out of fright and reared up. It sank its

fangs into a cushion which was lying next to my head “I did not move a muscle. I could see the poison on the pillow and that is the moment when I came nearest to panic.

"I signalled to a guard that I was ready to quit and come out of the cage. But the panic passed. A minute or two later I nodded my head, slowly of course, so as not to frighten my snakes, and indicated that I would carry on.

“I guess that it must take a kind of courage to do what 1 did; most people who think about such a thing are convinced that I am crazy. But I did it to show that it was possible, and to prove to myself the strength of my will power.

“I just had to be very careful not to make unexpected movements which would have triggered off an attack.” The attempt to better the world record of living in a room with poisonous snakes was made at the Hartebeespoortdam Snake-

park in South Africa. The curator, Mr Jack Seale says: “We changed the snakes at times but there were always 24 of them with him; all capable of killing him. “Peter may have looked relaxed, but he was always under tension for the snakes are always on the move — at least some of them. While some sleep, the others move about. Peter had to keep an eye on them all the time. He had little time to sleep or relax. “The room he was confined in was three metres by two and a half metres. All he had was a bed, a chair, and a tree-trunk. The snakes used to crawl all over him. “He had an alarm in the room which he could have used at any time, but he never made the slightest attempt to call the whole thing off, other than the moment when the little girl frightened one of the snakes . . .

“One of the most dangerous times for him was when the snakes had to be fed. The reptiles used to get quite excited. We fed Jiving mice and frogs to the snakes once every five or si: days. It was during this time that Peter had to watch his own movements most carefully.”

When he had completed his ordeal, Peter Snyman said: "I have proved that I couid do it. I beat the previous record by 24 hours but I don’t care if anybody tries to take my record away from me. “I will never ever do anything like that again .. . I would be quite happy if I never saw another snake as long as I live.”