DURBAN – A man got the fright of his life when he found a highly venomous vine snake on his car windscreen as he reversing out of his driveway.
Durban snake catcher Nick Evans said he received a call from a Reservoir Hills resident who told him that the vine snake suddenly appeared on the windscreen, and was trying to get in.
“The caller reversed down the driveway, and I'm not sure whether it was his plan or not, but when he pulled up alongside his driveway gate, the snake moved off onto that. Probably sick of trying to get through the invisible barrier.
“When I arrived, the snake was sitting still on the gate, fairly relaxed. I managed to scoop it off with my hook stick and get it in a bucket with relative ease. These snakes are calm if left alone, and fairly calm when captured by a snake handler with a hook. Although should one grab their tail, or grab their body with tongs, they can get pretty grumpy.”
Evans said vine or twig snakes are highly venomous, with a potent haemotoxic venom.
“Bites on people are very rare, unless the snake is being harassed.”
Evans said they were common throughout the greater Durban area and many other parts of KZN coast but due to their camouflage, they're not all that often seen.
“Even on a windscreen, it can just look like a twig fell on it.”
Evans said the snake was released back into nature.
IOL