Durban – Snakes are misunderstood and humans have given them a bad reputation, said two Durban snake catchers on Monday.
Nick Evans of KwaZulu-Natal Amphibian And Reptile Conservation was kept busy at the weekend.
He was called to catch a boomslang under a bed in a Mariannhill home on Sunday, and later climbed a tree on the Bluff to catch a green mamba.
At 2am on Monday, he raced to Westville North to capture a Mozambique spitting cobra.
“Snakes are all over Durban. The heat gives them energy, making them active But people don’t need to live in fear. They are only looking for food and shelter,” he said.
Jason Arnold, of Universal Reptiles, said he was in Phoenix last week searching for a rinkhals (not native to Durban) which apparently hitched a lift on a truck returning from Gauteng. Arnold said the snake had been spotted outside a house when the resident went to investigate why his dogs were barking.
“The snake feigned death, but when a tennis ball was thrown at it, it became defensive spraying venom at the dogs before moving to the safety of a nearby drain.”
The residents tried to get the snake to surface by pouring Jeyes Fluid and hot water down the drain.
“This would only flush the snake further along the drainage system and annoy it, making it more dangerous. If they had instead called a professional snake handler out, the snake would’ve been safely and successfully taken away,” he said.