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This page is dedicated to what to check before a trip as well as what to take along. it covers Vehicle, Recovery and tools, Camping equipment and First Aid. Please note that these lists are meant as a guide only.

Thank you to Phillip Briedenhann for the articles on Scorpions, Ticks, Snakes and Spiders.
 

Vehicle and Tools: 

Tyre pump
Tyre gauge
Tyre repair kit
Spare tube
Q 20 or equivalent
Hydraulic fluid
Gear oil
Engine oil
Quick set epoxy glue
Insulating tape
Duct tape
Locktite tread fastener
Spark plugs
Electric wire
Hose clamps of various sizes
Fuses
Radiator cap
Radiator stop leak
Fuel hose
Jump cables
Hand cleaner
Fan belt
Binding wire (Wire coat hanger)
Various nuts and bolts
U joints
Fire extinguisher
Flash light
Hi-lift jack 
Rags
Rope
Heavy duty plastic bags
Cable ties

Recovery:

Winch kit - including straps, tree protector, snatch block, and shackles.
Leather gloves
Spade
Axe
Jacking plate
Five metre chain
Danforth boat anchor (for soft sand)
Heavy duty hammer
Bow Shackles

Tools:

Socket set and ratchet
Set of spanners
Power bar
Tyre levers
Set of screw drivers
Monkey wrench
Pliers, flat and long nose

Camping Equipment:

Tent and poles
Mattresses
Pillows
Sleeping bags
Matches / Lighter
Paper plates
Paper towel
Gas Bottle
Gas bottle key
Cutlery
Egg lifter
Cutting knife
Mugs
Folding table
Chairs
Stove
Basin
Dish washing liquid
Dish cloths
Wooden spoon
Cutting board
Frying pan
Pot
Insect repellent
Toilet paper
Torch and spare battery's
Garbage bags
Light and extension
Tie downs or rope
Shade cloth
First aid kit

First Aid: 

This list is basic and does not include prescription medication

First Aid book
2 x Straight splints
2 x pairs Latex gloves
4 x Dressing 150mm x 200mm
4 x Dressing 75mm x 100mm
1 x Packet of adhesive strips (10)
1 x Anti allergic tape (25mm x 3m)
1 x Roll elastic adhesive (25mm x3m)
4 x Conforming bandages (100mm x 5m)
4 x Conforming bandages (75mm x 5m)
2 x Triangular bandages
1 x Card of safety pins
1 x Scissors
1 x Forceps
1 x Tweezer
1 x Packet Steri strips (for closing wounds)
1 x Packet Butterfly closures (used instead of stitches)
1 x Disinfectant (Detol/Savlon)
1 x pain tablets (Panado/ Sindol)
3 x Dehyrdration mix (rehydrat)
1 x Antihistamine tablets
1 x Box anti Nausia Tablets (Valiod)
1 x Anti diarrhea tablets (Imodium)
1 x Tube antiseptic ointment (Betadine)
1 x Sun Screen
1 x lip ice
1 x Bottle water purification tablets
1 x Disposable razor
1 x Cotton wool for pading (100g)
1 x Sterile Gauze (10)
1 x Swabs for cleaning wounds
1 X Calamine Lotion
2 x CPR mouth pieces
1 x Burn dressing
1 x medium eye bath
1 x Eye pad
1 x Eye drops (Eyegene)
4 x Eno sacket's
     Tampons
1 x Rescue blanket

 

4x4 Natuurlik:

 Skerpioene.

Ons speel lekker in die “Bundu’s” en vergeet maklik van moeder natuur se gediertetjies wie se woonplek dit nou eintlik is. Jou voertuig sit bietjie vas en daar word gou gegryp na ‘n klip of ‘n stuk stomp om te help. Onder daai klip of stomp lê daar dalk ‘n skerpioen en wag vir ‘n niksvermoedende prooi. In jou oorhaastigheid om jou voertuig te verlos, was die dra van handskoene agterwee gelaat. As jy nie die outjie betyds sien of jou hande vinnig genoeg uit die pad uit kry nie, gaan jy ‘n minder aangename herinnering opdoen. Ek het met ‘n toergids gepraat wat ‘n ontmoeting gehad het met ‘n skerpioen tydens ‘n toer, en dit omskep toe die toer in ‘n baie lang en onaangename ervaring. Hulle kamp altyd by ‘n spesifieke boom, en dit is al tradisie om met hulle aankoms ‘n bottel wyn oop te maak en die kurk in die boom se massiewe mik te sit, net bokant kop hoogte. In die proses het skerpioen se kind hom in die hand gesteek.

                                                                                                     

Suid Afrika het ‘n redelike groot verskeidenheid skerpioen-spesies, maar gelukkig is die meerderheid nie fataal giftig vir mense nie. Daar is slegs 1 tot 4 sterftes per jaar, en gewoonlik is dit kinders.
Die "Parabuthus transvaalicus" of "SuidAfrikaanse vet stert skerpione" is ons skerpion wat verantwoordelik is vir die meeste sterftes.
Interssant genoeg is 75% van die voorvalle in die nag. Die skerpione beweeg nader aan die lig want hulle is opsouk na insekte wat ook die lig opsoek. Die meeste gevalle van skerpion-steke is van October tot Maart, maar veral in Januarie en Februarie.

                                                            
                                                           Parabuthus transvaalicus

Skerpioene met groot knyper lyk baie meer vreesaanjaend. Skerpioene met groot knypers maak meer staat op hul knypers as die gif in hulle sterte. Hul gif is feitlik skadeloos vir die mens, byvoorbeeld die Hadogenes paucidens of rots-skerpioen. Die outjie word tot 21cm lank en sy knypers kan ‘n vingernael baie maklik middel deur knip.

                                                                             
                                                                            Hadogenes
paucidens

 Hoe om ‘n giftige skerpioen te onderskei van ‘n minder giftige een?

 Die algemene reel reg oor die wêreld is: 

                Skerpioene met klein knyper en groot sterte (in verhouding) is hoogs giftig

                Skerpioene met groot knyper en klein sterte (in verhouding) is matig tot effe giftig.

 

Hoe om ‘n skerpioen steek te voorkom 

Doen bietjie navorsing oor jou beplande bestemming en vind uit of skerpioene daar ‘n plaag of potensiële probleem is.
Indien wel, pas die volgende voorsorgmaatreëls toe:

Moenie skerpioene met kaal hande hanteer nie.
Dra toe skoene, veral in die aand. Die meeste gevalle is snags op ‘n kaal voet.
Wees versigting wanneer rotse en stompe geskuif word. Dra goeie leer handskoene tydens vuur-maak, kamp opslaan ensovoorts.
Die opslaan van die kamp moet liewers in die daglig gedoen word waar skerpioene en ander vreesaanjaende gediertes makliker gesien kan word.
Skud jou beddegoed uit voordat jy inklim of dit oppak. Dieselfde met kledingstukke en skoene.
Moenie op die direkte grond slaap nie – gebruik iets soos ‘n grondseil. Jou slaapsak en tent is ook goeie beskerming, maar hou hulle ritsluiters toe.
Vermy om by plekke te slaap waar skerpioene mag voorkom soos by die basis van digte plantegroei.

 

Wat gebeur as jy deur ‘n skerpioen gesteek word

Jy sal dadelik weet as jy deur ‘n skerpioen gesteek word. Selfs al sien jy nie die skuldige nie, sal jy onmiddelik ‘n brand pyn ervaar waar jy gesteek is. Die pyn kan duur van ‘n paar minute tot ‘n paar uur, met swelling en ‘n rooi uitslag om die steek-plek. Minder as 5% van die gevalle benodig mediese behandeling. Simptome wat daarop dui dat jy mediese behandeling benodig, verskyn gewoonlik eers na ‘n half uur en soms eers na baie ure.

Die volgende kan van die simptome wees:

Maagkrampe
Brand gevoel of “naalde en spelde”, gewoonlik in die hande, voete, gesig of kopvel
Hipersensitiwiteit tydens aanraking – selfs jou klere of beddegoed. Hipersensitiwiteit vir harde of skerp geluide kan ook soms voorkom.
Gebrek aan koördinasie met stywe bene of 'dronk' loop '.
Onwillekeurige bewegings, bewerigheid, spierswakheid
Hoë of lae polsslag
Sukkel om te sluk en/of oormatige speekselafskeiding
Sukkel om te praat
Oormatige sweet
Hoofpyn, naarheid, braking, diaree
“Droopy” ooglede
Rusteloosheid en angs
Urine terughou
Moeilike asemhaling.

Die erns van die steek word bepaal deur verskillende faktore soos byvoorbeeld:

Die skepioen spesie
Die grootte van die skerpioen en die vlak van aggressie. Groter skepioene het meer gif, en hoe dieper die angel ingesink het, hoe skadeliker is dit.
Waar jy gesteek is.
Jou gesondheid – iemand met hart of asemhalingsprobleme is geneig tot ernstiger reaksie.
Ouderdom – skerpioen-steke is meer gevaarlik vir kinders as volwassenes.

 Wat om te doen as jy deur ‘n skerpioen gesteek word?

Dit is een van die min gevalle waar jy vergewe sal word as jy die wilde diertjie dood maak – dit sal baie help met die identifisering van die skerpioen en die behandeling. Dit moet egter veilig gedoen word sonder dat daar nog ‘n steek toegedien word.
Maak die wond skoon en wend ‘n skoon verband aan waarin ys toegedraai is, en hou klam met skoon water.
Gebruik ‘n “oor die toonbank” pynstiller soos Aspirin of Paracetamol.
Indien moontlik, gaan na die naaste hospital of dokter.
Kyk vir enige verander van simptome wat mag voorkom.
Monitor pols en asemhaling
Iemand wat nie opgelei is in die behandeling van skerpioen steke nie. moet nie probeer om behandeling toe te pas nie. Die verkeerde aanwending van teen-gif of medikasie kan baie gevaarlik wees.
Hou die slagoffer kalm en verseker hom dat dit heel onwaarskynlik is dat iemand beswyk aan ‘n skerpioen-steek. Dit gebeur dat so ‘n slagoffer paniekbevange raak en daar dan vals simptome voorkom.

 

Om mee af te sluit: Ons lees in die Bybel in Openbaring 9 vers 5 “Die pyn wat hulle veroorsaak, is soos die pyn as 'n skerpioen 'n mens steek”. Dit is genoeg om ‘n mens baie ligtig en respekvol te maak vir dié gedierte, en dit wys ons ook al hoe lank skerpione bestaan. Hulle vervul ‘n baie belangrike rol in die natuur en moet ten alle koste vir die toekoms bewaar word.

 

 Ticks.

With the last tree-cut weekend, some of use discovered that we were covered with a huge amount of unwanted minute small guests – ticks. They were so small that it was difficult to remove them and we ended up using tea tree oil as repellent to get rid of the little buggers. Spending time in nature, this is not uncommon, and I decided to give more information about tick-bites and tick bite fever.

 The Bite:

The tick-bite itself is usually painless and it doesn’t itch.

 What is tick bite fever?

Tick bite fever or Rickettsia (Rickettsia is a genus of non-motile, gram-negative, none spore forming, highly pleomorphic bacteria) is caused by bacterial infection transmitted by ticks. This condition occurs in many areas of the world and is often known by a variety of names. In Africa, Mediterranean and India it’s known as “African tick bite fever (ATBF)”, “Mediterranean spotted fever”, “ Marseilles fever” or “Boutonneuse”. In the USA it’s known as “Rocky Mountain spotted fever”, in Australia as “ Queensland tick typhus” and in Siberia and Mongolia as “North Asian tick typhus”

 What causes tick bite fever?

The organism that causes tick bite fever belongs to the Rickettsial family of bacteria. As can be seen from the table, there are a number of different species of Rickettsias.

These organisms are relatively small – about 2/1000ths of a millimetre long – and are only able to survive inside cells. They are found in certain wild and domestic animals, and ticks acquire the organisms when they feed on these animals.

When the tick bites a human, the bacterium is transmitted in the saliva. The bacteria can also be transmitted from ticks to their offspring when still in the egg stage i.e. the Rickettsiae infect the eggs of the tick and thus infect the offspring.

In various parts of the world, different species of tick and Rickettsia are involved in causing tick-bite fever, and these forms of the disease are also given different names (see table).

How do you get tick bite fever?

Being bitten by a tick is one way, but if you crash a tick on your skin, the rickettsias may be able to enter through a small abrasion. Being bitten by ticks usually occurs in rural or wilderness areas i.e. when you are out camping, hiking in long grass etc. The ticks that are able to harbour the organism belong to either the Amblyomma (Bont tick), or the Rhipicephalus(Kennel ticks or bruinhondebosluis) family of ticks. The Amblyomma ticks actively seek out humans to feed on, while Rhipicephalus ticks tend to lie in wait on grass, and will bite you if you walk past.

                                                                                             
 
                                         Amblyomma (Bont tick)                   Dermacentor(Amercian dog tick)           Rhipicephalus(Kennel ticks)

   Symptoms and signs of tick bite fever.

Not every tick bite will result in tick bite fever, but should you get infected with tick bite fever, the incubation period (the period between being infected and displaying symptoms) is about five to seven days. Symptoms can vary, depending partly on the organism involved. Your age and underlying health may also influence the severity of the infection.

                       

Typical features may include the presence of a black mark where the bite occurred, and fever, severe headache and a rash. The black mark at the site of the tick bite is called an eschar (or a tache noir), and looks like a small ulcer (2-5mm in diameter) with a black centre. It may look something like a spider bite. The eschars can be single or multiple and can sometimes be very difficult to find. The eschar usually appears once the fever appears, as does the headache and malaise (general feeling of ill-health). Lymph nodes near the eschar may be enlarged.

A rash is usually, but not always, a feature of tick bite fever (it is supposedly less likely to occur in someone infected by R. africae), but when it is present, it consists of small red marks on the skin, sometimes raised slightly above the surface. It typically starts on the limbs and spreads to the trunk, and can involve the entire body, including the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.

 Symptoms:

Severe headaches
Fever and generally feeling poorly
You may have a rush and/or an eschar and/or other skin tissue damage
Fatigue
Deep muscle pains
Chills

 Although these symptoms may not sound “life threatening”, believe me, their intensity is strong enough to make you feel mighty uncomfortable.

 What is the outcome of tick bite fever?

African tick bite fever is usually mild, and death and serious complications are very uncommon.

This is in contrast to Rocky Mountain spotted fever (In the USA), which is usually a more severe illness. Complications include encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), pneumonia and damage to the brain and heart.

 How is tick bite fever diagnosed?

Because the organism lives inside cells, it is very difficult to culture it in a laboratory, and this isn’t routinely offered as a diagnostic test. However, your body makes antibodies (proteins that attack invasive substances or organisms) to the bacteria, and these can be looked for in the laboratory. These serological tests are the main method of confirming a diagnosis of tick bite fever. However, sometimes the tests only become positive after a couple of weeks, so while they may help to confirm a diagnosis, they are not always immediately helpful early on in the infection. If you have typical symptoms of the infection, and a history of possible exposure to ticks, your doctor may decide to treat you before results of the serological tests are known.

How is tick bite fever treated?

In some cases where the form of tick bite fever is mild and self-limiting, you may get better on your own without specific treatment, but this can take up to two weeks or even more. Antibiotics treatment can shorten the duration of symptoms and reduce the chance of a serious side-effect. In severe cases, antibiotic therapy is more important, and can be life saving.  

 How to prevent tick bites:

Use insect repellent, preferable on you clothes as the repellent quickly loses its effectiveness on the skin.
Stay away from tick infested sources.
Be aware of areas where ticks live and thrive, likely to be places where other animals congregate or pass through.
If you're hiking, try to walk in the centre of the trail.
If you need to take a break, sit on a rock instead of on the ground.
Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants to keep your skin protected from ticks.
Tuck your pants into your boots.

How to remove a tick:                                                     

Use tweezers to firmly grasp the tick at its head or mouth, as close to the skin as possible (try to get a grip on his head).
Pull firmly and steadily on the tick until it let’s go of the skin.
Do not twist the tick or jerk it suddenly because it may break off the tick's head or mouth parts and do not squeeze the tweezers to the point of crushing the tick; the secretions released may contain germs that aggravate the disease.
If you don't have tweezers, use your fingers carefully, a loop of thread around the jaws, or a needle between the jaws to pull it out.
If the body is removed but the head is left in the skin, use a sterile needle to remove the head (in the same way that you would remove a splinter).
You'll want to remove the tick as soon as possible because risk of infection increases between 24 to 72 hours after the tick attaches to the skin.
Swab the bite with alcohol or antiseptic.
Once the tick is off, kill it by stamping on it firmly, making sure that it is actually squashed. If you are at home, you can flush it down the toilet.
Do not squeeze the tick between your finger nails in an attempt to kill it, or try to squash it against your skin.
Do not put a hot match on the tick or cover the tick with petroleum jelly, fingernail polish, or rubbing alcohol to try to make the tick back out.
Wash the wound and your hands with soap and water after removal.
Apply antibiotic ointment to the bite.
Mark the date of the bite on the calendar.
Be aware that you could have more than one infected area.

 

Thank you to Andre Lourens from Onderstepoort Biological Products for this article about snakes.

Snakes   Andre Lourens

Whenever the word snake is mentioned, it brings fear to most people due to many myths that are still believed.  Some people see the only best snake is a dead snake where other people will say that not all snakes are venomous.  So now the question arises how can the lay person determine whether a snake is venomous or not?  Some people will catch the snake and examine its mouth for fangs.  This method may have serious consequences and complications if the person is bitten and it was indeed a venomous snake.

So, is there a specific characteristic that can be used to determine if a snake is venomous or not.  The answer will be no.  If any snake is just lying still on the ground, it is basically impossible to determine whether the snake is venomous or not unless it is identified positively.  Some groups of snakes have however developed mechanisms to give a warning.  The cobras that will rear up and spread a hood.  Or in general, the adders are short and heavy bodied snakes with a more or less flat triangular shaped head. 

                   

Snouted Cobra                          Mozambique Spiting Cobra

Then there are the Boomslang and Vinesnake that will inflate their throats to make them look more dangerous.  But not all snakes (eg Spotted Bushsnake) that inflate their throats are venomous.  Then some completely harmless species (eg Rhombic Egg Eater) will display extremely “aggressive” behaviour that can be confused with an adder and are then killed unnecessarily.  

                 

Vine snake                                            Puff adder

Now with the above said in mind, what one should do when a snake is encountered in the field while camping or changing a tyre for that matter.  The most important will be not to fool around with the snake or try to catch it if you are not absolutely sure what type of snake it is.  The reason for this is that the Stiletto snake can even bite while it is “held in a firm grip behind the head.”  If you are too close to the snake, stand as still as that is possible for you and let the snake move off.  If you are two meter or more away from the snake, one can slowly retreat to a safer distance.  If you are together in a group, find out who is really competent to identify snakes positively (no guessing) and call this person to identify the snake.  If the snake is identified as harmless (eg Brown House Snake) then take a stick and chase the snake back into the bushes.  Remember that even harmless snakes can still bite, but no venom is injected.  If the snake is a venomous specie, extreme caution should be exercised as the snake can bite or spit its venom in the case of a spitting cobra.  Retreat if possible or stand still.  Sometimes people get bitten in trying to kill a snake.  Out in the field (where us humans are the intruders), allow the snake to move off.   When moving around in the evening, make use of a torch and wear shoes.

Now is maybe also a good time to mention that snakes are just as scared of humans as what we are of them.  And believe it or not, but snakes will rather prefer to avoid human contact than to wonder off to a camp site for instance.  Further more, snakes will only bite to defend themselves (eg when fooled around with), when feeling threatened and when it is catching food.  Snakes will rather save their venom supply to use it when catching food than to waste it biting humans left and right.

When someone is bitten and the snake is gone, do not go and look for it.  Keep the patient calm and immediately load the person into a vehicle with medical qualified persons.  Contact the emergency services to meet you en route.  Whilst en route, apply a crepe bandage firmly (as for a sprained ankle) from the hand up to the armpit or from the foot up to the groin.  Splint the limb.  Perform C.P.R. as and when necessary.  Make notes of what was found and what treatment was administered.  In a nutshell, these first aid measures are what to do but a proper first aid course should be attended in order to deal with snakebites sufficiently.  

 Golden orb Spider.

Pic 1.jpg  Pic 3.jpg

For those of you who went on the Bundu Trail or the Mountain Route before, might have met these “little” spiders before. The golden orb spider (Nephila Maculata, Afrikaans – Goue Wawiel spinnekop, (I think the Bundu name is “Fritsies spiders”)) is not the largest spider, but makes the largest and strongest web. It gets its name from the golden colour of its silk.

Their vast golden webs span almost every available gap between trees and shrubs. Reaching great vertical heights and stretching across distances of up to 5 m, these strong spider webs form an almost continuous network of yellow silk ready to ensnare any insect, bird or bat that is on the wing. The golden silk is thought to attract pollinators such as bees

The big brightly coloured spider in the web is the female Nephila. She may measure 15-30 mm in body length while the male is only 5 mm and weighs one thousandth of the female’s weight. A web of this magnitude must require constant maintenance. The weaving of a web takes up a lot of the spider resources and orb spiders tend to eat the silk of any damaged section of web to absorb and utilize the protein. The male of this species does not produce silk but what he lacks in size and in the home maintenance department, he more than makes up for with courage and ingenuity. The female will often eat the tiny male after copulation. Where possible he presents a meal to her and while she is feeding he will copulate with his preoccupied mate. In most webs one will find the oversized female, the puny males and tiny dewdrop spiders. These small silver spiders are Kleptoparasites, they patrol the web picking off the smaller prey caught therein and avoiding the owners who will eat the house guest if caught.

Designed to catch large flying insects, the web is slightly angled. It is not a perfect wheel and is usually off-centre. To make its web, the spider releases a thin thread into the wind. When it catches on something, the spider walks along it trailing a stronger non-sticky thread. It repeats the process in the centre of the line to form a strong Y-frame. Around this, it spins the rest of the web out of sticky capture silk.

The silk of the orb spiders is exceptionally elastic and can stretch up to 40% before snapping. The silk is so strong that it can trap small birds, which the spider doesn't eat. These trapped creatures often destroy the web by thrashing around. To avoid such damage, the spider often leaves a line of insect husks on its web (like the safety strip across glass doors!); or builds smaller barrier webs around the main web.    

Uses by humans: Tribal people have long used the webs of these spiders. In the South Pacific, the web silk is used to make fishing lures, traps and nets. In the Solomon Islands, the spider web is collected by winding it around sticks to make large sticky balls which are suspended just above the water. Needle fish are lured to jump out and get entangled in the ball. In Southeast Asia, people make a net by scooping up the web between a stick bent into a loop. Spider webs have been used as bandage to stop blood flow and used to make bird snares.

The Golden Orb Web Spider's venom is generally harmless to humans and they rarely bite even if we blunder into and destroy their webs. The bite is just a scratch.

  P1070815s.JPG

The picture above is of a passenger in the “Old Lady” on a Bundu Trail. The lack of side windows allows for easy access and here comes the warning: This might lead to the passenger making a sharp move to his right, ending up on the drivers lap and even making some real funny noises.

 
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Last modified: October 13, 2011
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