When we wrote our original “Is Togo Safe?” post, we didn’t even address what will likely be the most pressing threats to our health and safety!

Cheetahs. Hippos. Monkeys. Wild African Dogs. Lions. Elephants.

Turtles. Snakes. Lizards. Crocodiles. And bugs. Lots of bugs.

And mosquitoes. With malaria.

Togo has crazy animals.

Being from Alaska, I’m not really familiar with poisonous animals. We’re more concerned about big things like bears and moose… not little things like snakes and spiders that can sneak up on you. It’s going to take a mental shift to think that something small can cause big lasting damage… like death… if we aren’t careful.

No pressure.

Our friends in Ghana have a practice of treating every snake like its poisonous and we will do the same. By teaching our children to stay out of tall grass, to not poke things that look like snakes, and to respect animals, we hope to help protect them from some of these dangers.

Anyone have tips for teaching kids (and adults who grew up in Alaska) about (small) dangerous animals? We welcome them all! Help calm this mama’s nerves!