Puff Adder ventures into KZN factory
In the latest Snake Rescue podcast, Nick Evans is called back to a factory at Cato Ridge, outside Durban, where he’s been for a snake rescue before.
Previously, Nick was called out there in the early hours of one morning to capture a decent-sized python.
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On this particular day though, there was a different kind of snake - a highly venomous one at that - a Puff Adder!
"It had ventured indoors and into a place where the snake could bump into humans, with an unpleasant outcome for both potential parties," says Nick Evans.
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Puff Adders have a potent cytotoxic venom, which causes tissue damage and pain, so avoiding a bite from one is ideal.
"They bite a number of people throughout Africa each year, not intentionally. These are ambush predators. They lie in wait for their prey to come past.
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"Unfortunately, because even small mammals use our pathways, these snakes occasionally lie on or next to pathways. This is when a bite can occur," says Nick.
Needless to say, he needed to remove it, for everyone's safety.
Listen to the details in the latest Snake Rescue podcast below.
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Interestingly, Puff Adders give birth to live young, rather than lay eggs, as most other snakes do.
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Last week, Nick returned to a construction site he is all too familiar with
“As completion of the development neared, I figured that's it for the green mamba calls from there. Well, I was wrong, and a third was in store for me,” says Nick.
“Green mambas are highly venomous, with a mostly neurotoxic venom (affecting the nervous system). They are shy snakes, which are not often seen due to their arboreal (tree-dwelling) habits,” says Nick.
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“I am so grateful the staff at this construction site had a call rather than kill policy! I think they've completed their building now, so now there should be no more mamba excitement with them, much to my disappointment!”
To listen to the latest installment of the popular Snake Rescue podcast, where Nick goes to rescue a green mamba, click below.
Listen to past episodes via our channel below:
Nick's organisation, KwaZulu-Natal Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, is a chapter of The Lawrence Anthony Earth Organisation.
Contact Nick on 072 809 5806 for information about snake removals in the Greater Durban area. Email him if you'd like to find out about his educational talks.
Main image courtesy of Nick Evans