Deadly water snakes have been spotted in Emmarentia Dam and already at least one person has been bitten.
John Brown was canoeing in the dam on 1 April when a highly toxic water snake leapt out of the water to bite him on the neck. “I was close to the Normalair Underwater Club when I felt something knock the kayak and I bent over to see beneath the water,” recalled the stunned man.
“The snake aggressively leapt up and bit my throat. I fell into the water. I don’t remember what happened after that.” Brown had to be rescued by the Normalair divers and was immediately rushed off to hospital to receive intensive care treatment.
He is currently in a stable but critical state. A local passerby at the dive club witnessed the event and described it as ‘unbelievable’. This because water snakes are not known to be aggressive; however, with the recent increase in water snake population at the dam, they have become territorial and defensive.
NOTE It is April Fools. There are no deadly water snakes in Emmarentia Dam.
According to local snake and reptile expert, Carla Goede, there are two species of water snakes found in Joburg but both are harmless. They are the common brown water snake and the green water snake. “They are both completely harmless snakes. They do not have venom and kill their prey by constriction,” Goede explained.
She said if you were to come across a snake, this is how you would handle it:
- The first and best option is to just leave the snake alone, especially in a place like Emmarentia. It’s a large, fairly undisturbed area with water and food sources.
- If you come across a snake in your house or garden, keep pets and children away from it, and immediately contact a permitted snake remover (yes, you need a permit to remove snakes).
- Always watch the snake from a distance of about 5m until the snake catcher arrives – snakes get lost quickly. • Only take a photo of the snake if it is safe to do so. Don’t endanger yourself by getting too close or chasing it around.
- Keep noise and movement to a minimum until the catcher arrives.
- Do not kill the snake. When you are close enough to kill it, you are close enough to get bitten.
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