Unwelcome visitor relocated

Koedoeskop – Local snake catcher Charles Jansen van Vuuren was called by Clemence Muzenda to a lodge near Koedoeskop on Wednesday 9 September to capture this unwelcome visitor. When Charles and his friend Renier Cronje arrived at the lodge, they found the python cooling off in the swimming pool.

“The python’s mood soon changed when I grabbed it by the tail to start pulling it out. These snakes are incredibly strong, especially those longer than 2.5m," said Charles.

 “This snake is a constrictor, meaning it has no venom but has hundreds of sharp teeth to grab onto its prey and coil around it, slowly squeezing its prey until it is lifeless. The help I received from Renier and Clemence was highly appreciated, these snakes can severely injure a person if you're alone.”

The 4.5m python weighed 30kg. After they measured and weighed the snake, it was relocated to a small dam far away from the lodge where it still has a pool to cool off in.

For Charles, the rest of the week was a busy one… He had to catch two Eastern Bark snakes, a thread snake, a spitting cobra and a puffadder – all within seven days.

Charles has had a passion for snakes from a very young age and is grateful that his employer at Mamba Cement allows him to go and assist the community.

“If you see a snake, remain calm and try not to provoke it as it might attack if it feels threatened. I would like to encourage people to rather phone a snake catcher who can come and remove the snake rather than killing it,” he added.

For more of Charles’s snake catching adventures, follow his Facebook page: Thabazimbi Snake Identification and Education.