From the editor’s desk: Homie, my new friend

Have you ever had such a fright that it feels as if your blood runs cold in your veins? That is exactly how I felt on Sunday evening. I can even be so dramatic to say that my life flashed before my eyes, but I think I just stopped breathing for a few minutes.

I live in a complex in Amanzimtoti and the courtyard is pretty small, with no means of escape, although it doesn’t deter criminals, I have to add. Anyway, my dogs had been scratching at a wooden cabinet I have standing outside, to keep all the doggy stuff, for about a week. I know there is a bit of a problem with rats in the complex, and I thought the creature that is getting so much attention from my dogs was a rat. My problem was that I never checked properly.

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On Sunday evening, while taking the dogs outside for the last time before we retire, I decided to pull the cabinet away from the wall, and there it was, two tiny black eyes staring back at me (now I’m being dramatic), with its tongue flicking back and forth in an attempt to intimidate the enemy (the dogs), a little brown house snake. Well, not so little because, it was about one metre long, but it was also petrified.

My blood froze, I stopped breathing for a bit and my first reaction was to get the dogs away from the snake. I took a few pics with my phone, trying not to get too close (I haven’t started breathing yet), because I needed to make sure it was what I saw. A phone call or two confirmed that it was indeed a common brown house snake, which I named Homie (get it?).

I had a heart-to-heart talk with Homie on Monday morning, explaining that I’m not going to hurt him, but he has to play nice. I got an old pillowcase and braai tongs, which I clicked a few times to make sure it works perfectly, and managed to catch my new friend all on my own. A proud moment for me, but I would not advise you to do it. Homie was safely released back into the wild, (but I won’t say where, it might cause panic among the residents), to live out its natural life where it belongs.

I have to admit, I stopped breathing again for a few minutes. Although I knew I was in no immediate danger, house snakes are harmless constrictors who like mice and rats etc, I needed to make sure my dogs won’t kill it either.

While Homie quietly rested in my office, needless to say, nobody wanted to talk to me that day unless I stepped out of my office.

I am now encouraged to do a snake handling course, could be fun. Until next week, don’t catch snakes, call a snake catcher, and take care of one another.

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