Johannesburg - While on a picnic, Winsar Leseilana spotted a large python catching a bushbuck for a meal of its own.
The gardener couldn’t help but get scared off when he saw the snake coiled around the body of the animal.
He said: “I was home for the December holidays to see my family and I told my brother and uncle that we should head down to the Ramodike Dam because I’d seen nice pictures on Facebook of people hanging out there.
“I suggested we go there for a picnic. While we were there, we decided to take a walk towards the mountain to see if we could spot some cool animals like baboons, especially since the car couldn’t drive up there.
“Soon after we started walking, my brother shouted, ‘Look at that snake!’ As soon as I saw it, I immediately turned around and ran the way that we came.
“I won’t lie, I’m a coward, so I left them there and ran away. They stayed for about three minutes, taking pictures, but then they also ran because they didn’t feel comfortable sticking around.”
A herpetologist at the Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism in Limpopo, Vincent Egan, said that what they spotted was a normal sight.
“Pythons are very common right throughout Limpopo and a large number of them can be found in different types of vegetation, especially in dry grass areas. It’s quite normal for pythons to hunt during the day as well as during the night,” said Egan.
Leseilana found this out after he saw the python and told people who lived in the area.
“When I told people what we saw, they said they knew it’s not a safe place to go, especially in summer because all the animals come out. I didn’t know that because I don’t live there,” said Leseilana.
The people weren’t in much danger, according to Egan.
“A snake will generally try to get away first, so usually if you walk up to them during a feed, they’ll regurgitate what they’re eating and try to get away, but this one was clearly focused on the kill. It would only attack if it felt threatened,” he said.
He added that the meal might have been quite a big deal for the python.
“It’s quite possible that the meal could last it the whole year because they don’t burn much energy. Especially in summer when they don’t have to regulate their temperature by getting in the sun.”
The Star