Probably because of the present lockdown, I’m overwhelmed by a lot of queries about Crowd Foresting. One of the most important ones is about the appearance of snakes, specifically, about what is to be done if snakes appear in the forest we simulate. Two or three points need to be kept in mind. Ordinarily, the forest we set up in our compound will cover an area of five sq. m. It may perhaps range from 50 sq. ft to 1,000 sq. ft, or cover a 21/2 cent plot. There is no need to fear that snakes will come to such places. Such a possibility may arise only if there are any snakes nearby.
But usually snakes live in holes, not among dry leaves lying scattered on the ground. They may come to the forest for two reasons. One, in search of prey, and the other, to mate. Most of the time, we get bitten when we step on a snake by mistake. Snakes never chase and bite people the way dogs do. They do not wander about to see sights either! Incidentally, they cannot hear sounds that get transmitted through air. When the snake-charmer moves his pipe, the snake sways, seeing the movement, and not hearing the music. The snake can only feel vibrations on the ground. Even if you walk gently or press your big toe on the ground, it will be able to capture the vibration. That is because its entire body is in touch with the ground. So, all you need to do is walk with a stick in hand. Not to beat the snake with, but to thump on the ground as you walk. The vibrations will make it move away from you. The other thing to keep in mind is to put up a fence around the forest, and keep the outer skirting clean always.
The advantage is that when we cross it to enter the forest, we will be careful. Small children will not be able to go in as they please. Keeping this space free of litter will help us quickly detect any animal that may go in or out. Such precautions can be easily taken. All the same, if there are trees around our house, there is definitely a possibility of snakes appearing. The other precaution you can take is to close all openings of the house with nets. Snakes usually come in search of mice, or to escape the cold outside or the rain. Mice will appear only if we scatter food material aimlessly, and this may attract snakes from the vicinity. This problem can be overcome by securing all windows with netting. Therefore, all we need to do is to take necessary precautions.