Don’t be fooled by snake removal con artists

We are currently in the middle of summer and because of all of the rain, snakes are very active. But this also brings snake removal con artists that one should be aware of.

Ashley Kemp, manager at the African Snakebite Institute said killing or attempting to catch any snake is a risky business and homeowners are advised to rather back off more than five paces and call a snake remover.

She explained that The African Snakebite Institute has a free app called ASI Snakes (https://bit.ly/snakebiteapp) that lists over 800 snake removers countrywide. Once you open the Snake Removal link the snake rescuers closest to you will be listed first.

According to Ashley, many snake removers provide a free removal service, while some may request a donation to cover fuel expenses, and others charge a removal fee, anything from R150 to R350 per call, often depending on how far they have to travel.

Unfortunately, some unscrupulous folk have seen this as an opportunity to scam people, especially old people or those that are clearly scared.”

She said these so-called snake removal experts arrive, quickly catch the snake or if they cannot find it claim they have caught it and placed it in a container, and then charge about R2 000 for the removal.

“It doesn’t stop there. They also offer to spray your property with snake repellent and that could cost up to R10 000. Needless to say, there is no snake repellent that actually works. Research at the University of the Witwatersrand has shown that snake repellent has no effect.”

Ashley added that if you encounter a snake, you should call a snake remover, but first check what they are going to charge you. If it is anything above R350 you should rather call another snake remover on the app.

One of the con artists goes under the name of Sam – be very careful,” Ashley warned.