For many people any snake seen is an enemy and every year thousands of snakes are killed, in the home, fields, on the road and even in the bush. So goes the saying, 'a good snake is a dead one'. So universally entrenched is the belief that snakes are bad that a dream that involves snakes will always be seen as a bad omen. According to Wikipedia, historically, snakebites were seen as a means of execution, a form of punishment in some cultures. In medieval Europe, a form of capital punishment was to throw people into snake pits, leaving victims to die from multiple venomous bites. In the Judeo-Christian scriptures, more than once the devil or evil one is portrayed as a snake or a serpent. Sadly some have interpreted the scripture literally and believe that every snake is the devil and deserves to die. The same fear is reflected in most societies where any snake species is feared. This has led to the death of many harmless and very useful snake species.
Interestingly, according to Johan Marais in his book, Snakes and Snakebites in Southern Africa snakes do not always release venom when they bite someone and this is called 'dry bite' or "Venomous snake bite without envenoming". Snakebite victims often report having seen a snake yet not knowing whether they have been bitten says the author in the book. They may have fang marks but no venom.
