Watch: Pietermaritzburg heat drives snakes into hiding — until a 3.9m python strikes
Despite the heat driving most snakes into hiding, recent incidents highlight ongoing risks to people and pets.
While the snake season in Pietermaritzburg started fairly busy, extreme heat in recent weeks appears to have pushed reptiles into hiding, says local snake catcher Dean Boswell.
He says snakes are unable to regulate their body temperature and, during extreme heat, they seek refuge in cooler spaces, such as people’s homes and holes, to escape the heat.
The Witness reports that Boswell says this pattern is not unusual.
“In previous years, I’ve found the same thing happening, and speaking to other snake catchers, they’re experiencing the same issue of it being relatively quiet, with just the odd call here and there.”
Despite the slowdown, recent call-outs have remained intense.
Boswell was called out after 21:00 to Bishopstowe to remove a very large python from a goat pen, where it had already killed a large goat.
“On the way there, I was sent a video and could see it was rather large, so I phoned another snake catcher, Akil Ramsurran, for assistance,” he says.
Before they arrived, a local father and son captured the snake and placed it in a feed bag. Boswell later met them on a nearby district road.
He removed the snake from the bag and placed it into a more secure container.
“It was a large female in good health and unexpectedly calm, as they are normally volatile,” he says.
The python, measuring 3.9m and described as ‘extremely heavy’, was later released into a nearby conservancy.
A second call-out, just after 17:00 the following day, proved more tragic.
Boswell was called to his neighbour’s home, where dogs had cornered a large Mozambique spitting cobra at the gate.
“One dog managed to bite the snake several times, breaking its back, before it could be stopped,” he says.
The cobra died from its injuries.
Boswell assisted in flushing venom from a dog’s eye after it was spat on, warning that spitting cobra venom can cause severe pain and permanent eye damage if untreated.
“Situations can turn very quickly, especially when dogs are involved. We always advise people to keep pets and kids far away from any snake, even apparent dead ones,” he says.
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Read original story on witness.co.za
