This is me, Chris, beginning this story. I wanted to include a more lengthy “note” to start things off due to the fact that the circumstances in which Geary (Gert) and I met were especially serendipitous and especially fun for me. I met Geary and his wife, Nikola, on my bike journey across Germany last summer, and we met at the end of what was arguably the gloomiest, least-enjoyable day of my entire five week ride. The weather was cold, rainy and windy, my bike route was almost completely urban, and to top things off, when I arrived at the hotel I had chosen specifically because of its sauna the receptionist informed me that the sauna was closed. Geary and his gang saved the day for me, making the evening a joyous one at the end of a soggy, ugly day. What follows is how I captured that evening in a post I wrote last summer…
Now, there was a silver lining to this bummer of a day. That was my time with Geary and his friends at the pub of Geary in Hirschberg that night. I had an amazing schnitzel dinner with local red wine while watching The Netherlands beat Romania on the bar’s big screen, and then after dinner Geary introduced himself and the conversation flowed. Geary was super interested in my ride and kept shouting across the pub at various locals telling them about it. I felt a little embarrassed, but also quite honored that Geary thought what I was doing was so cool. He showed off my business card around the pub, called a biking friend on the phone to invite him to come in, and shared his story with me of being adopted but later in life learning that he was the product of a relationship between a U.S. serviceman and a local German woman. I was given a small glass of local pear schnapps after dinner and two of Geary’s friends bought me a glass of aquavit after that. It was a rousing night. Sure, I didn’t have my sauna, and sure, I had to pay the cost of a hotel room in Heidelberg I wouldn’t be using, and sure, my day up ‘till that point was the worst so far of my trip, but the Wirtshaus zum Weissen Lamm and its local crew did its absolute best to make up for all of that! (By the way, Geary donated to my Go Fund Me campaign, making up for the cost of half of my hotel room. Dang. Life.)
What follows is Geary’s story…
My wife Nikola (a veterinarian) and I (a police officer) support two sponsored children in the African country of eSwatini for the Mannheim-based organization “Voices for Africa.” Our sponsorship enables the two of them to attend school. We visited these children and also toured South Africa for this purpose.
In countries with large snake populations, I am extremely interested in acquiring knowledge about these animals. Every day, I am out in the bush, trying to track down snakes, talking to locals, and receiving their help and expertise. Firstly, snakes are my hobby; secondly, I am registered with our control centers in my home Germany and therefore also deal with them professionally. I advise people who find snakes and, if the snakes are not local, I catch them.
Every day, I am out in the bush, trying to track down snakes, talking to locals, and receiving their help and expertise.
When it comes to identifying the animals, I have built up a network of specialists, as it is first important to determine whether the snake is venomous.
I’m currently traveling in the KwaZulu-Natal province with Snake Pharm and its founder, Donald Schmitz, a South African wildlife filmmaker and snake expert. Yesterday, we removed one of the most dangerous snakes here, a black mamba, from the wooden ceiling paneling of a baby and toddler hospice, which was the most delicate thing I’ve ever done in my (37+ professional) life. By tearing down the ceiling paneling, we accessed the highly aggressive, extremely fast, and strong, 2.4-meter-long mamba. At least 20,000 people die from snakebites in Africa every year; the number is estimated to be twice as high, as it almost always affects the poorest, whose fates go unrecorded. Donald is involved in researching and producing antisera.
From the South African newspaper article Black Mamba Drama at Children’s Hospice by Tracey Turner, Press Reader, April 11, 2025
The Butterfly Palliative home in Ingwavuma had an unexpected visitor on Monday morning when a 2.4m black mamba poked its head out from above the office desk, which is also the home’s crèche.
You could imagine social worker Nokwazi Ndlazi’s shock when she looked up, fearing for the safety of the 12 children in their care.
The home, the only dedicated children’s hospice in KZN providing end-of-life care to orphaned and abandoned children, is no stranger to these types of visitors.
It’s located in an area known as Snake Valley, famous for its snakes and exceedingly far from medical care in case of snake bites.
Usually, founders Tarryn and Dr Christoff Bell would catch the snake, as Dr Bell is passionate about snakebite management at Ngwelezana Hospital. Together with his wife, he has caught snakes as long as 2.6m.
However, with the pair away on leave in Cape Town, help was needed and fast.
The office was out of bounds to staff and office manager Belinda Milner contacted Donald Schultz, founder of Snake Pharm, with a picture of the hole in the ceiling and an urgent plea.
“I am always reluctant to go on snake call outs without a positive identification, much less so when it’s more than two hours away, but this one seemed special,” said Schultz.
“Nothing screams Monday morning blues like a hole that allegedly has a huge black mamba in it, that’s 200km away.”
Schultz made the two-hour trip with German police officer and snake enthusiast, Gert Wagenbach, who offered to come along and help.
The long drive passed quickly as they shared snake stories and the dos and don’ts of snake handling.
Once they arrived, the mamba was easily found and caught after some mild demolition of the roof. It was victoriously carted off to chants of ‘nkosiami’, translating to ‘My Lord’ by the relieved staff.
“This was the closest I’ve ever come to death– closer than any shootout or fight with criminals in over 37 years on duty as a dog handler!” exclaimed Wagenbach.
This was the closest I’ve ever come to death– closer than any shootout or fight with criminals in over 37 years on duty as a dog handler!” exclaimed Wagenbach.
Tarryn Bell thanked Schultz for safely catching the female black mamba, who was full of eggs.
“This mama-snake has been safely taken to Snake Pharm where she can have her babies and also contribute to the manufacturing of life-saving antivenom,” said Bell.
Schultz is revolutionizing antivenom production through a method that produces antivenom in just one hour, addressing the critical shortage in sub-Saharan Africa by making treatment more accessible and affordable.
As April marks the beginning of mamba season, Schultz reminds the community: “When encountering a snake, do not engage. Contact local authorities or snake experts and if it’s safe, try to get a clear photo to help with identification.”
Chris’ note: As I mentioned earlier, I met Geary and his wife Nikola last summer on my bike ride across Germany. The evening at the pub with Geary’s gang proved to be celebratory, festive ending to a rather miserable day.
WoW what an interesting story … you meet the most fascinating people Chris … I think you should just keep picking a different country to ride your bike through each year !!! I love your adventures and stories
I met a lady on the ferry to BC the other day who stopped to chat when she saw me doing my JAS splint worst exercises … she was a nurse who had just got out of ICU after being bitten by a baby rattlesnake in Bend OR when she put her hand on a rock for balancing while putting her hiking boots and it crept out of a crack and bit her 🐍 😳