Covid bites snake park

Qacha’s Nek – LESOTHO’S only snake park is mired in financial hardships, as visitors dry up due to the Covid-19 pandemic that has shut out tourists. The snake park largely relies on visitors for income. Founder and director Nkhooa Molahlehi told thepost this week that tourists stopped visiting the park after the outbreak of the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns early last year. “Business came to a halt,” said Molahlehi. He fears that his dream of running a thriving snake park could go up in smoke if the situation persists. It is a dream that started when he was just 20. Molahlehi introduced the snake project at his home village of Ha-Hlapalimane in Qacha’s Nek after completing his COSC in 1998. He said he started the project because of his love of wild animals, including reptiles, as well as the pastures which he thought no one cared about. “People were burning pastures, killing snakes and other wild animals and I feared that they would be extinct in a few years’ time,” Molahlehi said. “This is the reason I felt like I have to save the snakes for people who would like to see them and for future generations,” he said. Molahlehi said it all started at school when students had to come up with research topics. “So I came up with the topic of a snake park. My teachers were against my topic because they said we need to do research on something that we have in Lesotho so that we can go and gather information.” Molahlehi said although his topic seemed complicated to his teachers they ended up letting him proceed with the research. “So I went to South Africa to a snake park situated in Durban. I did my research there. Some of my questions were ‘why they kept those snakes, how they benefited by keeping them, etc’. I was convinced that starting a snake park in Lesotho would be a good thing,” said Molahlehi. After completing Form E, Molahlehi started travelling around the country collecting snakes. He also furthered his studies. “I went back to school in Nigeria where I learned more about snakes. I even went to a university in Zimbabwe.” He said after completing his education, he continued collecting snakes around Lesotho. “I collected the most dangerous snakes, that’s how I started my business.” “Although I thought I had come up with something unique for Basotho and Lesotho to be proud of, I got little support from local people.” The problem, he said, could be religious. Basotho are a superstitious lot, he said. Those inclined to Christianity believe snakes were condemned and cursed in the Biblical account of the Garden of Eden and therefore people should not keep them as pets. For many Basotho Christians, snakes are associated with the Devil, who they say is the “original snake”. As a result some people started associating him with evil spirits, said Molahlehi. Those who follow indigenous Basotho beliefs associate him with witchcraft, he said. “Many people were afraid of me while some of my friends stopped associating with me. I was lonely, but the lonelier I was the more focus I put on the project,” he said. Not everyone was hostile though. “Some liked the project and supported me,” he said, adding that rejection by locals on religious grounds saw most support coming from tourists who visited the country. Now those tourists are no longer coming due to Covid-19 related travel restrictions and the snake park is battling financial difficulties. “I need trained staff to work with but those I had trained have since left for greener pastures. I was unable to pay them,” he said. He said although Covid-19-induced lockdowns have left him in a dire situation, he still faced problems collecting snakes from across the country even before the pandemic. He said he needed special endorsement from authorities, both in Lesotho and South Africa, and it was difficult getting such endorsement. “We have tried several times to apply for the documents so that we can cross the borders with our snakes but it has been difficult. Some snakes need to change places during winter, so I have to take them to South Africa where it is warmer,” he said. He recalled a time when he was arrested in South Africa because he did not have a permit to handle snakes. “That happened because our country does not care about youths, they only care about party politics,” he said. “It’s been some years trying to get funds from the government, but to no avail. I have written some proposals to different ministries but they say they want 90 percent shares of my business and I cannot do that,” he said. Molahlehi said the snake business can create income and employment for the country if he receives enough support. He said the fact that he has been able to pay for his three children’s education, with two of them now studying at tertiary institutions, shows the potential of the business. “A snake park can bring more tourists. This business can make money, not only with tourists, but the fluid found in the body of some snakes is used to make some medicines,” he said. Despite past and current challenges, Molahlehi remains hopeful. “We might have some challenges here and there, but I still think the project will end up being where I want it to be.” Thooe Ramolibeli