Waverley family finds highly venomous cobra in backyard
"Our two dogs were going mad at the back of the garage. My husband went and had a look and he saw the snake."
A Waverley family got a nasty surprise when they discovered a highly venomous snouted cobra in their yard this week.
A bite from a cobra can cause respiratory failure and lead to death if untreated.
“We got home late from my sister,” resident Petro Olckers told Rekord.
“Our two dogs were going mad at the back of the garage. My husband went and had a look and he saw the snake. It was around 23:00.”
Petro said she and her family were scared as something like this has never happened to them before.
“We have no experience with snakes, and the snake sounded very aggressive.”
The quick-thinking family decided to call their local Kilnerpark Security, who arrived less than 10 minutes later to assist.
“We are very grateful for their good service and then most of all for Nico van der Westhuizen who came and removed the snake,” Olckers continued.
Van der Westhuizen is a certified snake remover at the African Snake Institute (ASI).
“It’s a mystery how the snake ended up in the family’s home,” said Van der Westhuizen.
“The snake might have come from the Magalies mountain, two blocks away from them. Or could have been stuck in a car and brought in from somewhere when it was smaller. The snake removal team finds various snakes in these areas, but cannot say for sure where they come from.”
He was able to safely remove the cobra from the residence.
Olckers said she’s very grateful no one got hurt.
The snouted cobra (Naja annulifera) is also referred to as the Egyptian Cobra or Wipneuskobra, Egiptiese Kobra and Bosveldkapel in Afrikaans.
ASI has the following safety tips to avoid getting bitten by a snake:
– Leave snakes alone and treat them with respect at all times.
– Do not handle snakes, even small ones. Juvenile venomous snakes are just as dangerous as adults.
– Never tamper with a seemingly dead snake, as many have the nasty habit of playing dead when scared or threatened, only to strike out the moment an opportunity arises.
– Do not try to kill or catch a snake if you come across one. Throwing rocks or shooting at a snake is looking for trouble. Also do not attempt to catch a snake with braai tongs or pin it and grab it behind the head. Some snakes, such as the Stiletto snake, cannot be held safely behind the head and you will certainly get bitten if you try.
In case of a snakebite emergency, the ASI said, do not attempt to catch or kill the snake – rather take a photograph from a safe distance to assist with identification.
In the event of a snakebite do not try to cut or suck out the venom. Snake venom very quickly attaches to local tissue and is absorbed into the lymphatic system and very little venom can be removed by suction. Cutting may expose the wound to secondary infection.
Do not apply a tourniquet. Venom is initially transported largely through the lymphatic system and not through veins. There is little evidence that a tourniquet could be life-saving following a snakebite.
Do not apply ice or boiling water, lotion or potions. Leave the bite site alone, except for cleaning it with cool water and applying a sterile gauze dressing. Boiling water does not denature snake venom. Do not give the victim alcohol.
Do not inject anti-venom as a first-aid measure. If required, anti-venom must be injected intravenously by a medical doctor in a hospital environment and usually in large quantities. Some patients have an allergic reaction to anti-venom and this may result in anaphylaxis – a life-threatening condition if not treated promptly.
Utilise the following numbers in the event of a snake emergency:
– African Snakebite institution 082 494 2039
– Netcare Ambulance 082 911
– ER24 Ambulance 084 124,
– Poison Information Helpline 0861 555 777.
Petro also recommended residents form WhatsApp groups to deal better with situations of this nature.
“We have a WhatsApp group called ‘Vriende van Cunningham’ in our area. That time of the night I asked the group for the numbers of snake catchers and Marius Rappard was so kind to immediately reply with numbers. A big thanks to him for the numbers that were of very big help.”
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