Dassie rescued from open drain

SNAKE handler, Nick Evans, was called out to an unusual rescue when a dassie (also known as rock hyraxs) got stuck in an open drain recently.

According to Evans, he received a call from Myles Lea, who had a family of dassies living in the garden for quite some time and had seen them on a daily basis. However, that particular day, they heard a screeching noise coming from the drain. Myles’s grandfather first thought it was a bird, but then discovered the dassie in the drain, which was too deep for it to jump out of.

“They are usually very agile climbers, and live on cliff faces. They are common in the Highway area, especially near valleys. It was also very distressed. It possibly ducked into the drain to get away from one of the dogs or even a family member, as it must have been the closest source of cover,” said Evans.

He said he was quite excited about this rescue, until he leaned over the drain and saw a screeching little ball of fur exposing some big teeth. He said he much preferred the sight of a gaping black mamba.

Evans asked a family member for a pair of gloves and a dishcloth. He put the dishcloth over the dassie in an attempt to reduce stress, which is a technique he learnt from catching crocodiles.

“It grabbed and thrashed it around. Using the glove, I reached in and grabbed it firmly, but as gently as I could. I did not want to receive a bite from the scared animal, as it would be quite painful and require a tetanis injection. Fortunately I had a good enough grip on it and I managed to get it out safely and securely. Once I had it out it was quite calm, probably in a bit of shock. I took it to where the rest of the family lives, in a rocky and bushy section of the garden, and released it. The family member then wisely covered the open drain,” said Evans.

He added that it was a great feeling to rescue an animal in distress, and to save something without scales made for a nice change.

For snake removals, contact Nick Evans on 072 809 5806.