African Snakebite Institute

What African Snakebite Institute does

African Snakebite Institute (ASI) is a Pretoria-based, founder-led training and equipment distribution business established in 2012 that operates as the leading provider of snake awareness, first aid for snakebite, and venomous snake handling courses in Africa, alongside the largest catalog of professional snake handling equipment on the continent. The company runs a three-tiered in-person course system (Level 1, Level 2 Bootcamp, Level 3 Advanced) across all nine South African provinces, complemented by a self-paced online learning platform covering Southern, East, and West Africa, and a free ASI Snakes mobile application on Android and iOS offering identification, first aid, and a snake removers directory.

The commercial offering is anchored on four interlocking streams: training services (public and corporate), sales of branded handling equipment (the proprietary JM-series and Elite-series tongs, hooks, bags, tubes, and PPE such as Cordura gaiters tested against Puff Adder, Black Mamba, Forest Cobra, Snouted Cobra and Rinkhals), published reference books authored by founder Johan Marais (including the third edition of A Complete Guide to the Snakes of Southern Africa), and a 200+ SKU e-commerce store shipping via The Courier Guy domestically and DHL internationally. The proprietary equipment line is engineered specifically for African species and field conditions, including the April 2026 launch of the ASI Elite Snake Tong in a nylon-glass composite.

The business model is a hybrid of professional services and hardware sales, with course pricing provided on inquiry and equipment priced in South African Rand across entry-level (R485 Mini Tongs) to enterprise tiers (R12,500 HexArmor Snake Resistant Gloves), and corporate bundles clustering equipment for enterprises, game lodges, and rangers. Revenue is diversified across multiple customer segments — nature guides and game rangers, corporate and industrial sites, game lodges, general public, families, and pest control operators — supported by a content-led marketing stack spanning social media, free resources, the mobile app, and a 5.0-rated Google profile of 301 reviews, reaching hundreds of thousands of people annually. The company is privately held, founder-owned, and operates without disclosed institutional funding.

Name

African Snakebite Institute

Legal name

African Snakebite Institute

Website

https://africansnakebiteinstitute.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

African Snakebite Institute is a Pretoria-based, founder-led training and equipment distributor that provides snake awareness, first aid, and venomous handling courses across Africa, alongside a 200+ SKU catalog of branded snake handling equipment, PPE, books, and a free mobile app.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Safety Training and Equipment

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Snake Removal & Prevention (HSAMAMAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Snake Removal & Deterrence (HSAMACAJ), Wildlife Control & Exclusion (IMAIAHAJ)

Keywords

• Snake handling training
• Snakebite first aid
• Venomous snake handling
• Reptile identification education
• Wildlife safety equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Pretoria

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Training Courses: Revenue from in-person public courses (Level 1, Level 2 Bootcamp, Level 3 Advanced), corporate on-site training, and online courses. Course inquiries handled via email to [email protected] with Michelle Pretorius as contact.
2. Product Sales: Sale of snake handling equipment including tongs, hooks, bags, tubes, PPE (gaiters, gloves, goggles), books, posters, clothing, and combo/kits. Over 200 products in inventory.
3. Book Sales and Publications: Sale of published books including A Complete Guide to the Snakes of Southern Africa (R550.00), field guides to scorpions and spiders, frog guides, and various regional snake identification guides. Combo packages offered at discounted prices.
4. Corporate Training Services: Customized on-site snake awareness and handling training for corporate clients across South Africa and Africa, with dedicated corporate product packages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

African Snakebite Institute is Africa's leading provider of snake awareness, first aid for snakebite, and venomous snake handling training, delivered via three-tier in-person courses (Level 1, 2 Bootcamp, 3 Advanced), online self-paced courses, and corporate on-site programmes. The company also distributes more than 200 specialty products including proprietary snake tongs, hooks, kits, PPE, and reference books authored by founder Johan Marais.

Product overview

African Snakebite Institute operates as both a training provider and equipment distributor. The company offers a three-tiered in-person course system (Level 1-3) for snake awareness, first aid, and venomous snake handling, complemented by an online course platform covering Southern Africa, East Africa, and West Africa regions. Physical products include over 200 snake handling equipment items: professional tongs (JM series, Elite series ranging from R485-R1,450), snake hooks (Standard, PRO, L, V, Universal, Collapsible, Stump Ripper at R595-R1,500), protective gear (gaiters R895-R2,550, goggles R130-R250), transport containers (tubes and buckets R300-R550), and comprehensive kits/combos (R1,330-R3,580). Educational products include the comprehensive snake guide book (R550), first aid booklet (R40), field guides, posters, and free downloadable snake identification booklets. The company also provides a free mobile app with identification features, first aid information, and a snake removers database.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ASI Public Training Courses (Level 1, Level 2 Bootcamp, Level 3 Advanced)
• Corporate On-Site Snake Awareness and Handling Training
• Online Snake Education Courses
• JM-Series and ASI Elite Snake Handling Tongs
• Snake Hooks (Standard, PRO, Universal Field, Collapsible, L, V, Stump Ripper)
• Snake Handling Combos, Kits and Bags
• ASI Snake Gaiters (Cordura, Bush, Huntsman, Reflective, Geo LITE, Fly Fisherman LITE, Kids)
• Ultimate Vision Goggles for Spitting Snakes
• HexArmor Snake Resistant Gloves
• Snake Tubes, Buckets, and Transport Bags
• A Complete Guide to the Snakes of Southern Africa (Book)
• ASI First Aid for Snakebite Booklet
• ASI Field Guide Books (Snakes, Scorpions, Spiders, Frogs by Region)
• ASI Educational Posters (Snakes, Scorpions, Spiders, First Aid, Kids, Infographics)
• ASI Branded Apparel and Accessories

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Wildlife ACT: South African conservation NGO running wildlife monitoring and ranger training across multiple reserves. Comparable as a Southern African organization equipping and training field staff who are direct buyers of ASI's snake handling and first-aid offerings.
• CapeNature: Western Cape public conservation body running its own nature-guide and reserve-staff training. Overlaps with ASI on training customers (rangers, guides) and snakebite-safety content, but operates as a government entity rather than a private specialist.
• Reptile Gardens (Rapid City, SD): Large US reptile zoo and education facility running public snake demonstrations and keeper training. Comparable as a brand-led reptile education business with proprietary shows and merchandise, though on a much larger scale and with a theme-park model.

Direct peers

• The Orianne Society: US non-profit focused on snake conservation, training and public education. Comparable mission (snakebite prevention, identification literacy, reptile handling best practice) and audience (field staff, public, corporates), though operating in a different geography.
• EcoTraining: South Africa's leading professional field guide and nature training provider. Highly comparable because it trains the same corporate, lodge and ranger customer base in wildlife knowledge and bush skills that ASI complements with snake-specific expertise.
• Bushveld Snakes: South African snake removal, handling and education operator. Closest local competitor because it offers the same combination of snake-removal services, handling courses and equipment sales to the same Southern African customer base.
• Australian Reptile Park: Australia's best-known reptile education, handling and antivenom-production facility. Closest international analogue to ASI: combines public education, hands-on venomous reptile training, proprietary equipment and a strong consumer brand in a venomous-reptile-dense region.
• Save the Snakes: Global snake conservation and snakebite-awareness organization running training, outreach and education programs. Overlaps with ASI in mission, educational content production and capacity-building around safe snake handling and bite first aid.
• FGASA (Field Guides Association of Southern Africa): Industry body that certifies Southern African field guides. Comparable because the same target customers (rangers, guides, lodges) pursue FGASA credentials and frequently require ASI's venomous-snake and first-aid modules as part of their qualification pathway.

Regional players

• Kruger National Park SANParks Rangers Training: SANParks' internal ranger training programs in South Africa. Adjacent peer because SANParks field rangers are a key customer segment for ASI's courses and equipment, and SANParks provides in-house versions of the same wildlife-handling training.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@africansnakebiteinstitute
• Facebookfacebook.com/africansnakebiteinstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/african-snakebite-institute
• Instagraminstagram.com/africansnakebiteinstitute
• TikToktiktok.com/@africansnakebiteinstitute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about African Snakebite Institute