Ballito girl lucky to be alive after spitting cobra attack
A six-year-old girl is recovering in hospital after a recent terrifying snake attack.
Snakes are very common in KZN and can be seen more during these hot summer days.
Staying calm and getting to a hospital as quickly as possible will give you the best chance of surviving a venomous snake attack, but that is easier said than done.
If a snake had to bite me, besides knowing I'd need to get to a medical facility pronto, I also know that I shouldn’t panic - again, that is easier said than done.
Luckily for this young girl and her mother, they were able to do exactly what was required of them.
Watch: Local snake specialist's guide to common snakes in KZN
According to an article published by Times Live, a six-year-old girl named Mikayla-Sue and her mom were rushed to the hospital this past weekend after the young girl was bitten in the face by a Mozambique spitting cobra at her home in Ballito.
The mom had venom sprayed in her eyes from a whopping distance of 30cm away. Little Mikayla is still in hospital recovering and was on a ventilator due to the swelling in her throat. Hectic! I'm just glad that she is still alive as it could have been much worse.
Read: This video of a snake vomiting up another snake will freak you out!
After reading this article, I realised that I don't know as much about snakes as I thought I did. So I decided to make contact with my friend Byron Zimmerman, a local specialist in Reptile Conservation, to find out more about the snake that bit Mikayla and in which areas they can be found most in KZN.
Take a listen to my chat with him in the podcast below:
If you spot a snake in your home or want to check one of Byron's snake shows, contact him via his Facebook page, Snakes For Africa or call 082 894 6783.