Snake season in Soweto? Slithery passenger just one of BMW driver’s many pet snakes [VIDEO]

With the arrival of the warmer spring weather, snakes that have been hibernating over winter have become active again. A snake casually “chauffeured” around in Soweto, however, might be just a tad too active for most people’s liking…

Since a video clip of a BMW driver and his slithery passenger put TikTokkers in a flat spin last week, the man has come forward, claiming he actually has a whopping nine snakes to keep him company at home.

WATCH: BMW driver takes snake for a ride

In the initial The TikTok clip shared by @tumisoweto, a snake can be seen hanging out of a parked BMW’s window.

As if the sight of the snake wriggling about outside the car wasn’t enough of a “haibo!” moment, the sheer size of it upped the social media frenzy a couple of notches, with some joking that “this would be one way to not get hijacked”.

At the time of publishing this article, the clip has been viewed a staggering 1.7 million times.

‘I won’t stop loving snakes’

In his own follow-up video, the driver – identified in the comment section as a “mechanic from Protea Glen who is a good BMW spinner” – confessed that he has nine snakes in total.

“Hi guys, I’m the one who’s been trending with the snake. I am a snake catcher. I love reptiles.”

“You guys can believe what you want. I have nine snakes in total and I won’t stop loving snakes.”

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Snakes alive! How to stay safe during snake season

If you however are not a snake lover like our BMW-driver-gone-viral, what precautions can one take to stay safe during snake season?

“Prevention is always better than cure, particularly when it comes to snakebites,” says Dr Kevin McEwen, a trauma doctor who practises at Netcare St Augustine’s Hospital’s emergency department.

“Many people are bitten while trying to corner or chase a snake they’ve encountered. A threatened snake will defend itself.

ALSO READ: Ekurhuleni warns pet owners to be on high alert as snakes come out of hibernation

“While accidental contact with snakes does happen, for instance, when a snake is under a structure and someone walks past, the greatest chance for contact is when people encounter a snake and then try to catch it.”

• When you see a snake, the golden rule is to keep your eyes on the snake at all times. Follow it at a safe distance of four to five metres.
• Stay calm and keep kids and pets away from the area.
• If found in your house, follow the snake. Once again, keep a safe distance.
• If found in a bathroom or bedroom, close the door and put a towel down at the bottom of the door to secure it. Go outside and close all windows.
• Call a professional snake catcher.
• Never try and pick up a snake that you cannot identify.

What should you do if you are bitten by a snake?

• Stay calm. “Keep your wits about you,” says Dr McEwen.
• Try to get a good look at the snake so you can identify it. Dr McEwen says your doctor needs to know what snake has bitten you so they can treat you with the appropriate antivenom if necessary.
• “Use your cellphone camera, if you can, to take a photo of the snake. We’re in contact with some very experienced herpetologists [snake experts] and often send them photos that patients have taken to help identify snakes accurately.”
• Get to the hospital straight away.

Dr McEwen stresses that people must not wait for symptoms to show before they decide they need help.

“Don’t take a ‘wait and see’ approach to snakebites. Neurotoxic venom can start working as rapidly as within half an hour.

“Immediately call for an ambulance or get someone to take you straight to hospital so we can monitor you in a safe environment to see how the symptoms progress.”

What is the average cost of treating a snakebite?

According to Cape Town-based snake handling trainer Willem van Zyl, the average snakebite treatment in a hospital could cost about R200 000.

“If you need surgery, costs may be well over R1 million, so it’s much cheaper to call a snake catcher when you see one rather than try and deal with it yourself,” he told News24.

Snake season alert: Beware of the stiletto snake…

By far, the most common bite they see at the Netcare St Augustine’s emergency department, says Dr McEwen, is from the innocuous-looking stiletto snake or burrowing adder.

The stiletto snake is found in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Free State, North West, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape, according to Cape Town reptile expert Tyrone Ping.

After the Mozambique spitting cobra and the puff adder, the stiletto snake accounts for the majority of serious snake bites in South Africa.

“People make the mistake of thinking the stiletto snake is harmless and pick it up with their hands. They don’t realise that the stiletto snake has sharp fangs on either side of its mouth, and it can move independently of the other,” Dr McEwan explained.

“When people try to pick them up behind the neck, it can easily spike its fangs into your finger. It’s a brilliant defence technique, so it’s the most common snakebite we see.”

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