NICK Evans, local snake catcher and founder of the KwaZulu-Natal Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, caught two venomous snakes in the Highway area yesterday.
“The Boomslang was seen slithering up a small tree in Winston Park and was seen last week by the same tree,” said Evans.
When the homeowners saw the snake in the tree, they decided the tree needed to be removed.
“We cut the tree down. I would have decided otherwise if it was indigenous,” said Evans.
“We weren’t finding anything as we cut the tree down, branch by branch.”
It was only when he cut off the final branch and lowered it to the floor that the snake shot out.
ALSO READ: Two highly venomous snakes caught in Westville
“It’s a nice sized female Boomslang, which I suspect is gravid/pregnant. Boomslang have the most toxic venom of any snake in South Africa, however, bites are extremely rare, and it’s generally handlers who are bitten,” said Evans.
He noted the species prefers to stick to the trees and generally pose little threat when they are in them.
His second catch was a Puff Adder, just outside of Inanda.
The homeowner saw the dog barking at a snake and it slithered into a patch of spiny plants, where it curled up and took cover.
“It was very well camouflaged among the leaves. A pretty easy rescue otherwise. Puff Adders are not common in the Highway area, so this was a treat for me!” said Evans.
Nick Evans is on call for emergencies only.
He has a permit and will respond to call outs that involve highly venomous snakes found around the home.
Residents can contact him for advice and to help with snake identification.
Contact Nick on 072 809 5806.
* Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news
Dear reader,
As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.
Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).
Do you want to receive alerts regarding this and other Highway community news via Telegram? Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409.
You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Telegram number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts.
Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.