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Came across this beautiful Berg Adder specimen on the trail between Breakfast Stream and Blind Mans Corner, near the junction with the Keartlands Pass trail, Monks Cowl, on March 21. The tail and head appear to have sustained a fatal blow by a stick, possibly by hikers or by smugglers.

Just as a reminder, other than the fact that it is illegal to kill an animal in the Berg, these Berg Adders generally have to be seriously provoked to bite you. And even if they do bite you, treatment is not always absolutely necessary, and can be delayed by a few days. They are a fairly common sighting in the Berg as far as snakes go, but pose a relatively small threat. Probably the biggest risk for getting bitten by them is while using your hands for scrambling up steep grassy slopes.

It is not warranted to kill them.

I agree 100% with you Intrepid, although I'm very cautious for snakes (actually - terrified ) , but will not kill 1 in the berg.

That just kill my good mood for the day. What people must remember is that we are the once tresspasing on there turf, how would that guy feel if one walks into his house and clobber him with a stick. It is not on.

Seriously not good. I can't believe a hiker did this!!!

I have come across these little beasties on two occasions. Both times during winter funnily enough, on the one occasion it was having a good go at ST² boots. Very feisty.

This is very sad.

Had a close call not to long a go wher I could hear it hiss, but only saw it when it was strike my walking stick. That is why you use your walking stick to move them out of the way, not kill them. We are visitors in their domain.

One hopes it was not hikers, but people are strange in general! Native travellers will kill a snake without thinking. That is simply the primeval part of the brain kicking in. We fear what we do not understand.

One consideration might be that the damage was done by a Secretary Bird, or even a Denham's (Stanley's)Bustard. They can inflict severe damage to a snakes body, and this may explain the damage at the tail end.
Usually the killed snake is consumed, but the bird may have been disturbed in this instance. Large birds such as these, when disturbed, usually fly off at distance, so it may not have returned to find the kill.

Did you perhaps read the ground sign around the snake - prints, crushed grass, etc? - This may have given a better idea of what actually happened.
You can often read the 'story in the sand.'

Hope that put a bit of a positive spin on things:)