Durban - Over a year ago, a baby Mozambique spitting cobra was spotted several times on a Shallcross property in Durban until one day, the homeowner, in an attempt to kill the highly venomous snake, took a swipe at it, but only managed to chop off the end of its tail before it escaped.
The snake was not seen again, until recently, when it had returned to the very same yard where it had lost its tail. Warren Dick, a local snake wrangler and reptile aficionado, found himself returning to the yard in Shallcross on Tuesday to catch the elusive cobra, which was now a large adult.
“When the snake was first seen again as an adult, my friend, Nick Evans, was called out to catch it, but he missed it. I can see why, the property is quite steep with numerous hiding places for a snake,” Dick said in a Facebook post.
After Evans’ initial failed attempt to catch it, the snake was seen on several other occasions but always out in the open, and although it was not too perturbed by people, it would soon move off once spotted.
On Tuesday, residents saw the cobra at the top of the steep driveway, where it then took refuge in a PVC drainage pipe in the retaining wall.
“When I got there I decided it best to leave my car at the bottom of the very steep driveway and walk up. I was shown the hole where the snake went in, apparently, it had last been seen about 5 minutes ago. A brave resident actually used a stick to try to keep the snake in the pipe, not letting it escape before I got there,” he wrote.
Peering into the pipe with a torch, Dick was disappointed to find that behind the retaining wall was filled with rubble, leaving countless spaces for a snake to wait it out until the coast was clear.
Dick decided to wait in his car for a bit as the residents took up positions, watching for movement.
“After around 10 minutes sitting in the hot car looking at a hole in the wall, I gotta admit, I started thinking I was seeing movement there but I wasn't. The wait went on for half an hour, then suddenly all hell broke loose,” Dick said.
“I hear screaming and shouting, "STOP IT, CATCH IT, NO! IT'S GETTING AWAY", and I'm sitting in the car like, what is going on? Then I see this big snake at the top of the driveway, coming down fast, it then briefly stopped just past the gate. I then fumbled out of my car and stumbled up the hill.”
Now watch this:
One of the residents was in hot pursuit of the snake as Dick ran up the steep driveway to cut it off. The snake then veered to the side, shooting down the embankment toward the road. It was a sheer drop, the snake was gone, or so he thought.
“We got to the bottom of this almost sheer cliff, and the resident quickly spotted the snake and pointed it out to me. Fortunately, it had moved down the hill too quickly to find its usual holes to hide in,” Dick said.
The cobra was now halfway down the hill when it saw its pursuers. It was a standoff, human and snake eyeing each other, contemplating their next moves. The snake then decided that the only available way back to safety was to go back up.
“At this point, I seized the only opportunity I was going to get. I stretched up as far as I could reach with my trusty ASI snake tongs, just managing to grab it halfway down the body, then I could easily pull it down off the embankment and pin it down using my other tongs,” he said.
Dick shared that although it was an exciting experience, he felt a bit sad about removing a long-time resident, but agreed that at the end of the day it's the safest option for humans and animals alike.
The 1.5-metre cobra was released in a natural area, far from possible human contact.
Dick said that being snake season if you suddenly encounter a snake on your property or in your house, don't panic, remain calm and assess the situation. By remaining still, the snake will assume that you are not a threat and will move off, but if you panic, make sudden movements and scream, it will see you as a threat and may defend itself.
Dick implored that “no snake ever wants to attack or bite you, they only do it if they have no other way out. If you see a snake, don't try to kill it, most bites happen to people trying to kill or even relocate a snake. Try to get a picture for identification purposes.”
If you choose to call a snake catcher, keep eye on the snake's whereabouts while calling and waiting for assistance.
If spat in the eyes by a spitting cobra, rinse your eyes under clean running water for about 10 minutes before seeking medical attention.
The African Snakebite Institute says that the Mozambique spitting cobra is fairly common across south-east Africa. The diet of this snake consists largely of frogs, small mammals, birds and other snakes. It is active on overcast days, but more active at night, often venturing into urban areas in search of rodents.
Although this snake accounts for the majority of serious snakebite cases in Southern Africa, fatalities are rare. It also spits venom and does not always spread a hood when doing so. Its venom is potently cytotoxic causing pain, swelling, blisters and in many cases severe tissue damage. Anti-venom is highly effective when administered timeously.
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