Zainul Dawood
A DURBAN snake wrangler has wrestled an African rock python into submission, eliciting a collective sigh of relief from workers at a construction site who had been rattled by the presence of the snake, which is the length of a double-cab bakkie.
Workers at the site in Umhlanga Ridge first spotted the snake, a female, on Friday and although it is not venomous, had been anxious ever since. The python was later seen basking in the sun on a pile of branches and dried leaves near some containers.
Jason Arnold, of Universal Reptiles, said the python was close to 3.8m in length.
A short video clip (http://iol.io/b9jzr) recorded on a cellphone by site engineer Vignesh Naidoo showed Arnold bravely crawling towards the snake on his knees. The sound of twigs breaking did not frighten off the python.
Arnold, wearing shaded glasses and a pair of red gloves, crept up and grabbed the python by the neck.
The python hissed and coiled its tail around branches. Its strength kept Arnold down on his knees until he found a way of getting it untangled from the branches.
With the help of others, Arnold held on to the neck area. Together they carried the snake to a dirt track on the construction site and placed it into a bag.
Arnold said: “It is important for it to be relocated to a safe area away from humans.
“I will… release it somewhere safe.”