Pour info et pour définir ma question : j'ai une peur bleue des serpents.
Je voulais savoir comment vit-on sa vie de tous les jours dans un pays d'Afrique équatoriale lorsque l'on sait qu'il y existe des serpents très venimeux (mambas, vipères du Gabon, etc...).
Je pense surtout aux personnes qui résident dans des maisons individuelles avec jardin, et si le risque de voir un serpent dans son jardin est possible (je pense que oui) voire même qu'un serpent rentre dans sa maison.
Pour info, une personne ayant vécu au Gabon, m'a dit qu'en période de grosses chaleurs, on peut voir des serpents en ville. Est-ce vrai ?
Dites-moi en tant qu'expatriés au Gabon s'il y a des consignes de sécurité à respecter concernant les animaux dangereux.
Je suppose que concernant Libreville, le danger de voir des serpents est moins important que si l'on habite à Port Gentil qui est entourée par la jungle.
Merci pour vos réponses.
Bonjour, si vous résidez en villa avec jardin, il se peut en effet que des serpents puissent venir, mais en fait c'est très rare, les serpents ont horreur du bruit et des voitures. Je ne pense pas que vous ayez des problèmes de rencontre avec des serpents, moi meme en 10 ans de résidence en Afrique je n'en ai rencontré qu'en brousse, alors que je résidais en pleine forèt pendant 18 mois,
et jamais ce n'était agressif, ils se sauvaient. Mais bien sur j'avais deux trousses de sérum au cas ou, une pour les mambas(très beau serpent, anneaux jaune et noir brillant) et une pour les vipères du gabon car le venin de ces familles de serpent n'est pas le meme. Partez tranquille vous n'avez pas beaucoup de chance d'en rencontrer en ville.
bonjour,
j'ai vecu au gabon une bonne vingtaine d'annees, je vous rassure qu'a Libreville en appart il n'y a pas de danger...par contre, moi, j'habitais dans une villa avec grand jardin...j'ai eu des visites des mambas verts, ils sont trop mignons, vert fluo, presque transparents comme des joujoux en gelatine... et inoffensifs, c'est plutot mon chien qui leur a fait peur !!!
Vous savez, Libreville est une capitale tout en longueur face a l'atlantique et la foret derriere. Il arrive parfois d'avoir des invites innatendus, et pour cela il est bien d'avoir un chien (moi j'avais un caniche dans la maison et un berger dans mon jardin)..son travail etait efficace ! car mes voisins, eux, ont eu la visite d'un python de 3m de long (mais ca arrive rarement).
Par contre a Franceville, encaissee dans les montagnes boisees, la presence d'animaux rampants, gros lezards, iguanes est beaucoup plus frequente !!!
rassurez-vous, on peut tres bien vivre malgre tout...
sofia
Soyez rassuré : en près de 40 années de séjour au Cameroun, Congo-Brazza et Gabon, je n'ai jamais reçu la visite d'un seul serpent dans ma maison, ni en ville ni au cours de mes nombreuses tournées en brousse, mais j'en ai fréquemment croisé qui se baladaient sur la piste ou dans la concession de ma boîte...Et je n'ai jamais eu la moindre boîte de vaccin en ma possession !
Mon ami est comme vous: une peur bleue des serpents! Alors moi qui suis plutôt dans le cas inverse, il change peu à peu d'attitude et réussit à vaincre ses peurs.
La meilleure solution? Étant donné qu'on craint beaucoup plus ce que l'on ne connaît pas, renseignez-vous sur ces petites bêtes pas aussi dangereuses qu'on veut bien le faire croire. Lisez des livres et des revues spécialisés, regardez des documentaires, apprenez à les reconnaître et à connaître leur comportement. Une fois que vous les aurez "démystifiés", ils ne vous feront plus le même effet, et il ne m'étonnerait pas d'ailleurs que vous vous mettiez à les "apprécier"...
Le livre incontournable: "Reptiles du Gabon" édité par la Smithsonian Institution. Vous y trouverez tout un tas de photos (dont 2 ou 3 prises par moi-même, d'un Naja melanoleuca dans le parc de Pongara), de cartes de répartition et de détails sur chaque serpent inventorié .
Pour répondre plus concrètement à votre question, j'ai passé quasiment toute ma jeune vie au Gabon et les serpents rencontrés se comptent sur les doigts d'une main. Un jeune Naja melanoleuca (justement) tué récemment par un jardiner dans mon jardin; une "couleuvre émeraudine commune" découverte par mes chats, toujours dans mon jardin. Puis en 2007, dans le PN de Pongara, 2 Naja melanoleuca (1 juvénile, et 1 adulte qui figure dans le livre cité plus haut) + un Boa de Calabar, appelé également "boa deux-têtes", inoffensif.
Encore une fois, apprenez à les connaître et vous n'en serez plus traumatisé.
Aurélie
"Traverse la rivière avant d'insulter le crocodile"...
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