Cape Town – Cape Town is used to an influx of tourists during December, but residents and workers in the CBD never expected this one: a Cape Cobra.
The unusual visitor was spotted crossing busy Buitengracht street by a passing motorist on Thursday. It reportedly slithered out of a nearby drain.
News24 reported that reptile expert Tyrone Ping was called by a security company to remove the snake.
Ping later released the snake, which was unharmed, on the mountain near the city.
There have been a number of unusual snake sightings around the city recently.
Ping said he had caught 11 Cape cobras, one puffadder and two Karoo sand snakes around Cape Town since the beginning of the month.
A few days ago, Ping was called in to remove a Cape Cobra from a family’s home gym in Fresnaye, reported Cape Town ETC.
IOL reported on Thursday, 21 December, that another snake rescuer, Shaun MacLeod, had rescued a yellow-speckled cobra from rubble in a Kuils River backyard on Monday.
At first he thought the snake had eaten a poisoned mouse, because it appeared lethargic and non-aggressive. However, when he took it home to nurse it back to health, it laid seven eggs.
“She is doing fantastic. I am waiting for her to settle in. I gave her water and will feed her at night,” MacLeod said.
He added that he would incubate the eggs and release the hatchlings and their mother on a nearby farm, which had given him permission to do so.
Earlier MacLeod told IOL that snake sightings were not uncommon in the city during hotter, more humid weather.
Follow African Insider on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Picture: Pixabay
For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com
Compiled by African Insider
