Ladysmith KZN: Baby pythons found in residential area of town
One of the snakes was found in Protea Drive in a washing machine and the other one was in a tree in Cleome Drive
Two hatchling Southern African Pythons were found by local snake specialist Fanie Cilliers last Saturday morning (March 20) in Acaciavale, in close proximity to each other.
The first snake was found in Protea Drive in a washing machine and the second snake was found basking in the sun in a tree in Cleome Drive.
For Fanie, both these calls came as a surprise to him, as he expected a cobra or a puff adder, as those are the snake calls he has been getting recently.
These little snakes were number 223 and 224 on his count list of pythons that he has removed from the Ladysmith area over the last five years.
The hatchlings measured 600mm and 610mm in length, respectively, and were females. Both pythons were safely relocated by Fanie to an area suitable for them.
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Speaking to Fanie, he says that people living in the area should be careful and vigilant, as a python nest contains between 40 and 85 hatchlings at a time, which means there is a strong possibility that there are still snakes slithering around the area.
Fanie knows that people misidentify pythons, thinking they are puff adders, and react by killing them. He says this must not happen, as pythons are on the endangered species list and are classified at the same level as rhinos on this list.
Residents allege that numerous pythons have been killed in the area recently, and put on display on palisade fences and trees.
“Due to hunting in the area and high traffic volumes, these snakes are not commonly found in residential areas, but away from town,” says Fanie.
Fanie describes both these catches as “awesome”, more so because they were so close to home.
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