The NSPCA has expressed disappointment in the leniency of the sentence a Modjadjiskloof man received after being fined R2 000 for smoking a bong with a live cobra inside.

According to Polokwane Review, Dirk de Jager was identified by NSPCA national senior inspector Duán Matthee following a lengthy investigation. He was charged and prosecuted for contravening sections of the Animals Protection Act 71 of 1962.

The NSPCA became aware of a video on social media in 2024 showing De Jager displaying a jar containing a live cobra. The jar features a thin tube protruding from it and a rolled marijuana joint.

“Here in the bush, we smoke with a cobra. There’s a cobra in the bong and look, it’s spitting fresh venom,” he says in Afrikaans. De Jager is then seen teasing the snake, lighting the joint, and inhaling the smoke while the snake remains trapped in the jar.

“So you see what I mean, you people with your pansy bongs in town. Take the water out and put a cobra in there, it does the job,” he says at the end of the video.

Warning: Video not for sensitive viewers

The NSPCA’s Wildlife Protection Unit launched an investigation into the individual responsible for this act of cruelty.

“Upon receipt of the complaint, our Wildlife Protection Unit started to investigate the individual responsible for this deplorable act of cruelty. It is inconceivable that someone would expose any living animal to this type of behaviour, and our inspectors were adamant that the man in the video would be identified and prosecuted. After investigating a series of leads, Inspector Matthee successfully located the person responsible for the video,” its statement reads.

De Jager was arrested in August and pleaded guilty on October 29, 2024. He was sentenced in the Kgapane Magistrate’s Court in Limpopo.

“The plea resulted in a fine of R2 000 or 30 days’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months on condition that the accused is not found guilty of the same offence committed during the period of suspension. The NSPCA is absolutely appalled by De Jager’s abhorrent actions and finds it reprehensible that anyone could participate in behaviour such as this, let alone video the event and circulate it on social media. While we are disappointed in the leniency of the sentence, we are grateful that he is facing repercussions for his actions, including a criminal record,” the NSPCA said.