Herald snake slithers into Westville yard

SNAKE expert, Nick Evans was called to remove the mildly venomous Herald snake from a Westville home.

According to Evans, he arrived at the site to find the homeowner holding a swimming pool net that was used to cover the snake.

“When he lifted it off for me, it was, of course, furious. It did not want me approaching. It did what Heralds almost always do in threatening situations and put on a big show, hoping to scare me off,” said a calm Evans.

He noted that while the reptile has a mild venom, it would be unusual for a human to show any symptoms from a bite.

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“The story of them giving you a headache is a myth,” he said.

Evans said this species of snake is common in the Durban area and is regularly confused for a Black Mamba, a Mozambique Spitting Cobra or a Night Adder.

“Black Mambas usually just back off, at speed. I don’t ever recall seeing one on a call just standing it’s ground and striking. Except hatchlings,” he noted. “But they prefer to just show their black mouth.”

Evans said that it was possible to leave Heralds alone in gardens as they helped to control frog numbers.

For snake removals, contact Nick Evans on 072 809 5806.      

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