Durban: A ball python that has been spotted at the Durban Harbour for almost six months has been found dead.
Durban snake catcher Jason Arnold said he found the female python measuring 1.1 metres dead on Wednesday evening.
“The first sighting was probably around about September and it's been spotted a few times by fisherman, but for some odd reason, nobody called any of us when the snake was visible,” Arnold said.
“We only got to hear about it via Facebook, after the fact.”
Arnold said on Sunday evening a fisherman saw the reptile and took a video, which they later posted on Facebook.
“I saw the post last night and commented that I'd like to go see if I can find it, but needed someone to show me exactly where it had been spotted,” he said.
“The guy got in contact with me and we arranged to meet at Wilson’s Wharf at around 5pm on Wednesday.
“He showed me the spot and I started to search, eventually finding it an hour later, dead at the waters edge.
“It was already starting to smell, so its likely it died on Tuesday night sometime.”
According to Arnold, ball pythons are native to West Africa.
“So it's unknown exactly how it came to be at the harbour. Maybe an escaped/released pet, or perhaps a stowaway on a vessel or a truck,” he said.
IOL