A Cape cobra was safely rescued from the swimming pool of an elderly couple living in Island View earlier today.

According to Mossel Bay Advertiser, Slangboere’s Devon de Villiers, who catches snakes across the greater Mossel Bay area, says he received a call from the couple at 12:30.

He adds they only reported a snake in their swimming pool but did not know what kind it was.

“They sent me photos of it and I immediately recognised it as a Cape cobra. They asked me if it was dangerous, and I told them it was,” says De Villiers.

He adds he and a Slangboere team member raced out to the property and found the cobra still in the pool.

“The cobra even displayed its hood while it was in the water. We managed to safely remove it. We then spent some time educating the couple on Cape cobras.”

De Villiers says that during his many years of handling and catching snakes, he has noticed that Cape cobras sometimes end up in strange places just before winter.

He believes the cobra was perhaps searching for a place to start the brumation state and unfortunately ended up in the pool.

Brumation, which is what reptiles do during cold periods, is when snakes become less active, but their metabolic system does not shut down like it does in mammalian hibernation.

“I have never seen a Cape cobra in a pool before. It is not a common sighting at all,” he adds.

He says the snake will be safely released in the greater Mossel Bay area once a suitable location has been identified.

If you spot any snakes or want to find out more about Slangboere, contact De Villiers on 076 781 0528 or visit their Facebook page.

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