Watch: Pretoria student finds huge python curled up on bakkie’s engine
A bakkie’s fender had to be removed for a snake catcher to capture a 2.5m python.
Imagine opening the bonnet of your bakkie and finding a 2.5m-long python curled up on the engine. This is exactly what happened to Pretoria student Juan le Roux.
“We were driving back to Pretoria from our farm near Cullinan on Wednesday. I decided to stop at a rock where I always see snakes.
“We saw three snakes, and as I was taking photos, one slithered away. When I checked, one of the snakes was missing. Benjamin, who was with me, thought it might be up in the engine.”
When they opened the bonnet, they spotted the giant snake. Le Roux says they tried using sticks to manoeuvre the snake out but were not brave enough to grab it.
The snake moved deeper into the side of the engine, prompting them to call snake catcher Maggle Webster.
“We got the call and responded,” Webster says.
“We worked until midnight on Wednesday evening to try and get it out.”
Webster says her husband and son, both named Vincent, assisted her.
By this time, the snake was curled behind the front left fender and wouldn’t move. Despite their efforts, they were unsuccessful in removing the snake.
After midnight, Le Roux parked the bakkie in his Brooklyn complex and decided to keep the snake a secret.
“I covered the side of the bakkie with blankets as I was sure the snake wouldn’t move,” he says.
On Thursday, Bertus from AB Motors assisted and removed the fender. Webster wasted no time and quickly grabbed the huge python.
“It is a Southern African Python measuring 2.5m. It is a protected species,” she says.
Read original story on www.citizen.co.za