MY FIGHT WITH SNAKES.

MY FIGHT WITH SNAKES.




Some days just don't go according to plan, last Wednesday morning I got a call for a Puff Adder in town, I packed my kit into the bakkie and headed off, I always take at least a large, clear container and a snake tube with me because some snakes refuse the box and accept the tube and vice versa but the catch was an easy one and I secured the snake in the container. 




As I was about to leave town I received another call, a farm on the edge of town bordering the Klipperivier had a Cape Cobra in the horse tack room. Now cobras can be pretty lively and difficult at times and I only had a snake tube left and so borrowed another container from the caller.

The tack room was jam packed with riding equipment and other stored items and the lady informed me that she was planning a big cleanup and noticed the head of the snake peeking out from behind a rack of boxes. 




The floor was full of rat droppings which obviously attracted the snake and I carefully started to move equipment out and eventually I could look behind the rack, sure enough there lay a very large golden yellow Cape Cobra but I needed to move out more boxes in order to reach the snake, by this time the snake had decided that it was time to move and disappeared into a big cardboard box that had a hole in the back. 




Using my tongs I started to unpack the box but as I reached the bottom the snake shot out again, this continued for a while and it was really difficult to get a good clean hold on it. Eventually I got hold of it and took it outside where I had put the open tube and the borrowed box, I struggled to get the snake into the tube but it finally went in, then while trying get the lid on it shot out back into the tack room, start the whole process again. 

The snake was extremely defensive, hooding up and trying to bite the equipment and after I caught it a second time I tried the tube again, no way was it going in there, then across to the box and try that. 

Now this snake was big and really strong and unless you have handled one before you can understand  how difficult they can be when they want to, into the box it went, it's tail remaining out holding on to the edge of the box and it's body wrapped around my tongs and hook together, eventually I had it all in the box, or so I thought, and it shot out before I could close the lid, again back into the room. Well after much more sweat I finally got it secured in the box. Sigh of relief!

Will there be a mate here too asked the lady, no I said they only come together for mating, don't worry I said, but I will check anyway. I went back into the room and moved a few more boxes to check behind and can you believe it, there lay another large cobra, this time slightly smaller, dark brown with yellow speckles. Much more relaxed thank goodness and it went into the tube without complaint. 


That was the head colour I saw said the lady, not the yellow one, why didn't you tell me I asked, then I would have known there were two snakes, well I thought maybe they could change colour like a chameleon she said. The snakes were released faaaar away from human habitation, the yellow one continuing with his bad temper even during the release.




Id Cape Cobra - Naja nivea also called Geelslang, Bruin Kapel or Kaapse Kobra
Classified as Highly Venomous with a potent neurotoxic venom which can lead to respiratory failure and death.

Location Swellendam Western Cape
Thanks to Elzette Uys for the call.












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