Relief as ‘school’ snake is harmless
Accompanied by his 10-year-old son Masson, Peter was able to quickly spot the snake in a tree while his son helped safely capture it.
FEARS of a venomous snake roaming about at a pre-school in Aquadene were quickly allayed when it was confirmed the initial sighting of a green snake with spots suggested it was a harmless spotted bush snake.
Quickly responding to the callout at Aquadene Nursery School on Friday afternoon around lunchtime, snake catcher Peter Daniel was happy to report to teachers that the little reptile slithering along the school fence was harmless.
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Accompanied by his 10-year-old son Masson, Peter was able to quickly spot the snake in a tree while his son helped safely capture it.
Using the opportunity to create awareness, Peter, an honorary officer with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, shared information about snakes with the teachers and staff.
Peter said the spotted bush snake is non-venomous and commonly found on fences, walls or around homes where they hunt geckos and other small vertebrates.
Often the callouts for these harmless snakes are mistaken for boomslang and green mambas.
‘Residents can expect to see more snakes now during the warmer weather and we urge the public not to harm or kill them, but rather call a snake catcher immediately.
‘We also want to make residents aware that there are no repellents on the market that deter snakes and they should not be fooled by these claims,’ he said.
