Durban: A Pietermaritzburg father who was exercising at his home gym got the fright of his life when a snake suddenly crept up on him.
The man, who declined to be named, said he had been working on one of his machines, doing shoulder weights, when he looked down and found a snake at his feet.
“It was scary because I didn’t know what type of this snake this was.”
The man said he immediately reached for his cellphone and contacted his local security company.
“I finally got in touch with local snake catcher Dean Boswell who got here within 15 minutes.
“During this time, I never lost sight of the snake.
“I watch the programme snake city on DSTV, so I took a few tips from here, and one is to watch the snake until help arrives.”
Boswell said the brown house snake is quite common in the Pietermaritzburg area and surrounds.
“They live on geckos and mice, and because their prey often comes out at night, so too the house snakes are often active on warm summer nights.”
Boswell said they grow to about 1,2 metres in length and are distinguishable by the brown colour and pale stripes on the side of the head and down the body.
“Although not venomous, they can and do still bite if provoked.”
However, Boswell said these snakes help a lot with pest control.
“If seen, people shouldn't kill them. If they want it removed, they should rather phone a competent snake catcher to come and relocate it.”
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