WHILE many families were looking forward to opening their Christmas gifts and indulging in delicious treats, Highway snake catcher Nick Evans was called to rescue a python in a private conservation area.

Evans said the call came through at 01:00.

According to Evans, the fence patroller was doing his routine patrol, when he spotted the 3m+- Southern African python stuck in the fence in a conservation area, the location of which has not been disclosed.

“The area is well fenced with a number of protected species inside. There is clear-vu and electric fencing.

“Unfortunately, this python tried getting through it. It got incredibly far out through the tiny gap in the clear-vu fencing, likely due to the adrenaline of being shocked.”

Often in such cases, Evans said the pythons die. However, the staff at this place are well trained.

“The fence patroller called his colleagues for help, and also called one of the technicians to turn off the electric fencing. I was also called.”

While waiting for Evans, the staff switched off the electric fence, and tried unsuccessfully to get the python out.

The snake catcher arrived with veterinarian, Carla Goede.

Together, they tried squeezing the python’s body and pulling her out.

“There was no chance. We didn’t gain a millimeter. Fortunately, the technician had the right gear to cut the clear-vu. I pressed the pythons body down, to create a gap, and he managed to cut. Then, Carla and I managed to pull the python out easily.”

“The poor python was almost lifeless, apart from the occasional flicker of the tongue.”

As Evans had not brought his python boxes, they tried to squeeze the python into a bucket. However, Goede was worried about the python’s own weight putting too much pressure on its already compromised cardiovascular system.

The python lay on her lap until they could get her in a big box.

“This way, she was also able to monitor the python’s breathing and heart rate. Other than the heart, the python wasn’t moving. After getting home, we got about two hours of sleep, and when we woke up, we were happy to see that the python was extremely lively.

“We’ve kept her for observation, and she appears to be 100% fine for release now. A very lucky python!”

Evans thanked the staff for their efforts in saving the snake.

For snake removals or advice, contact Nick Evans on 072 809 5806 or nickevanskzn@gmail.com.

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