•CEDRIC farm manager Dudley Whittmore in a white t-shirt far right showing a python as show goers join in posing with the reptile.

By MAYA NTANDA

THE first impression one gets when they come across a snake is either to run away or find ways of killing it.
But this is not the case with Cedric’s farm manager Dudley Whittemore, who seems to have a close relationship with snakes and other reptiles.
Born in Luanshya 40 years ago, Mr Whittemore of Cedric’s farms in Kamfinsa area has a way of communicating with snakes which most people consider to be unfriendly to human beings.
Mr Whittemore developed an interest in snakes when he was six years old and got inspired by the mother who cared for wildlife.
Apart from keeping snakes, Mr Whittemore also keeps crocodiles and monkeys at the farm.
Mr Whittemore says he has trained the farm workers not to kill any snake or animal that they may come in contact with because he believes animals, like human beings, have a right to life.
The farm is popularly known as ‘Nsoka’ (meaning snake) village and all the farm workers including members of the community have been encouraged not to kill any snake when they come across one.
“Snakes have poor eye sight and only taste ones skin. That is how I talk to them, cuddle them, they taste my skin and they know I do not mean any harm, it’s just God and nothing else,” he says.
Mr Whittemore was one of the exhibitors at the 57th Copperbelt, Mining, Agricultural, and Commercial Show (CMACS) in Kitwe which was held from May 28 to June 1, this year where he attracted a lot of show-goers who wanted to catch a glimpse of various reptiles at his stand.
The stand which was known as Crocodile hunter housed various reptiles that included a python, a cobra, crocodiles, and tortoise.
The shelter was filled with grass which made the show-goers to be more careful on where one steps in case a snake or any of the animals had slipped out of the box.
To the show goers, Mr Whittemore seemed to have a way of talking to the snakes and would from time to time lift the python which would slip out of his hands and crawl into the pond within the show stand.
The python is 15 years old and had a life span of 70 to 80 years while the smaller snakes being exhibited at the show were five years old.
At one point during the Show, Mr Whittemore lifted the snake from the pond but it slipped out of his hands onto the grass, sending the audience including the author who was conducting an interview at the time to run for their lives and scamper in all directions.
Mr Whittemore attracts tourists from various parts of the world and that reptile farming was an important component of the tourism sector but that one has to have knowledge of how to manage it.
He urged the private sector to continue working closely with Government to develop the tourism sector because it has the potential of creating employment opportunities and bring in foreign exchange into the country.
“Tourism is a viable sector that has helped a lot of countries to develop and so Government should continue implementing good policies that would help in developing the tourism sector,” he said
Zambia, Mr Whittmore said, had a lot of attraction centres good for tourists but the places where not marketed and there was no information about them to encourage both local and international tourists to visit the centres.
He expressed gratitude to Vice-President Guy Scott and his entourage who toured his stand during the official opening of the show when the stand was not on the list of those to be visited.
Mr Whittmore felt humbled, encouraged and pledged to work hard to contribute to the tourism sector and job creation.
One of the show-goers at the crocodile hunter stand Dalitso Mwale said the most frightening part was when the snake slipped out of Mr Whittemore’s hands onto the grass.
Mr Mwale said a snake is considered to be dangerous and one cannot take it for granted that because it seemed friendly to the owner, it would be friendly to another person.
He, however, said he enjoyed the adventure of seeing a python and other snakes and would try and change his mind about how he views the reptile family.