Snake handler saves puff adder from sure death in Bushbuckridge

Cockroach Mdluli, aka Snake Man Extraordinaire, was once again in his best form when he rescued a puff adder from being killed.

Mdluli saved the snake from certain death at the hands of angry learners of Londida Primary School in Mkhuhlu, Bushbuckridge.

He said the highly venomous puff adder was spotted by learners in one of the school toilets. They apparently tried to kill it, but when they realised it was aggressive, they contacted the well-known Mdluli to capture it.

“Knowing how dangerous these snakes are, I rushed to the school and found it outside the toilet, and managed to catch it without hurting it. I am glad it did not bite anyone and the learners did not kill it, as we still need to preserve the species even though they are dangerous,” he said.

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He said the snake was 1.5m long, highly venomous and responsible for a large portion of snakebites in sub-Saharan Africa, where it is indigenous.

“One bite can cause swelling, pain, blisters and tissue damage. Once a person is bitten, they should seek medical attention as quickly as possible. The puff adder has large hinged front fangs capable of inflicting a painful bite responsible for deep venom penetration. Death from a puff adder bite is rare and mostly occurs as a result of secondary infection or poor medical care,” Mdluli said.

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The snake was handed over to the Kruger National Park. Mdluli once again pleaded with the public to refrain from trying to catch or kill snakes, but to rather call a snake handler.

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