Demarcation Diaries
21 September 2001
I'm nailed to the ground and all I can say is, "cobra, cobra!" while I
point at the coiled up snake less than a meter from my feet.
"Go back!"
Nilo shouts. He walks in front of me and I see this snake appear from
under his foot.
He stands on the snake but it doesn't move. With
head lifted, it observes us. Bryan tries to scare it away with a big stick,
but the snake doesn't move. He then picks it up with the stick. It is
about 1.5 m long and has a beautiful camouflage of red and black triangles.
"Its a pico de Jaca" the Deni say. If it bites you, you can die in hours.
The snake is very fat and probably just ate. Hopefully it was a nice meal
because it became the snake's last meal. As much as I would have liked to save
this animal, we decided better be safe than sorry. With no helicopter to
evacuate someone, we would be in serious trouble it it bit
someone.
The Deni then became impatient. If there is one
snake, there is most likely a second one around. Nilo's legs were shaking and
he asked Arthur for a cigarette, which are already becoming scarce. When we
walk back that evening, the snake is already half gone, eaten by the
flies.
Merel
(Team A)
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volunteers on the demarcation project.
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