Snake catchers ensure slithering opponent is finally caught
Local snake catchers were back in action last week.
Riaan Prinsloo and Hennie van Zyl of Hi-Tech were called out three times to deal with one persistent spitting cobra on a property just outside Barberton.
Yvette Winson discovered a snake at the gate to her house, but left it to find its own way off the property, surrounded by veld. When they spotted the snake again, they decided to phone Hi-Tech, which was then unable to locate it on arrival. As it was beginning to get dark, Hi-Tech returned the next day. Again, the snake was nowhere to be found.
Winson resolved that it must have moved on.
However, the spitting cobra had decided to make itself at home on the Winsons’ property, which they realised when they noticed the frogs that frequented their property were starting to disappear.
Frogs are a staple of spitting cobras’ diets.
They found the snake again a few days later, this time in a little concrete alcove where it had made a whole nest for itself.
“We phoned Hi-Tech again. If it were just a normal garden snake, we would have left it and kept our cats away from it. I love snakes, but unfortunately I don’t have sufficient knowledge on how to catch them myself,” said Winson.
Prinsloo and Van Zyl received their training at Lowveld Venom Supply.
“The nice thing about Riaan and Hennie is that they actually educate you while they catch the snake,” said Winson.
The spitting cobra was safely caught and released outside town. Hi-Tech usually release the snakes it catches far outside town in their natural habitat. Sometimes it keeps snakes needed for antivenin for the Lowveld’s venom supply.
Snake season is usually between September and January when temperatures increase. “At the moment we don’t get as many calls about snakes. It depends on the temperature. So one day we’ll get one call other days we’ll get about three,” said
Van Zyl. “We don’t just do this for the safety of our clients, but also for the reptiles in our environment.”