Slithery sunbather rescued after ending up on a beach in Amanzimtoti

Nobody knows if the boomslang spotted on Winklespruit Beach in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday was a beach bum or simply wanted to learn how to surf.

“Apparently this snake was seen going into the waves for a swim multiple times, but this exhausted it. It was then mostly moving along the sand, and at one point, perched on a big piece of driftwood,” snake catcher Nick Evans told South Coast Sun.

“When I arrived, the gorgeous snake was sprawled out just above the point of where the waves wash in. It was such a unique sight for me, as I’ve never seen a snake on the beach. It looked shattered! It also looked very disorientated and confused as to where the heck it was. It was about 50m or so from the nearest vegetation, which was back across the sand. It had also inflated its neck. They do this to make themselves look more intimidating when they feel threatened.”

Nick picked the exhausted snake up in his tongs and released it safely along a river.

“At first it still seemed a bit disorientated, but it soon woke up a bit and slithered off. Why was it on the beach? I really don’t know. We haven’t had any floods of late, which would have washed it down in a river. I guess it just got a bit lost. Regardless, it was interesting to see and I hope it is happy to be back where it belongs.”

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