Watch: Snake expert captures massive Southern African Python near Ladysmith
Fanie was told by the Mazibuko family that their chickens have been going missing
Last weekend was a busy one for local snake expert Fanie Cilliers and when he got into bed on Sunday evening, he didn’t expect a call-out in the middle of the night…
When he lifted the phone to his ear, it was a distraught Esidakeni resident telling him about a massive snake lying under a kitchen cupboard.
Fanie got into his vehicle and travelled to the house in question, picking up the caller along the road to be pointed in the right direction. Arriving at the scene, he was directed to a small room that had been turned into a kitchen in the homestead. In the room was a big black pot, a small cupboard and a few chickens walking around.
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Fanie was told by the Mazibuko family that their chickens have been going missing and that’s why they moved them inside, for safekeeping. However, as it turns out, the chickens weren’t so safe after all inside the house, as a massive Southern African Python was hiding under the kitchen cupboard.
Fanie quickly sprung into action and moved the cupboard…
And there it was, a 3.73m snake that looked very healthy indeed.
In under a minute, Fanie had the snake under control in his hands. He then took it outside for the Mazibuko family members to have a look at and pose for a quick photo. The family was amazed at the size of the snake and now know the reason for their chickens disappearing. This fella was eating them!
Fanie took the snake home with him and safely released the nearly four-metre-long python at a local game reserve, where there is lots of food.
When Fanie measured the snake, he was shocked to find that it had regurgitated seven chickens. A further two were found dead in the kitchen.
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