Puff adder pair safely relocated from Dargle cabin
Although the cabin's occupant was not concerned about the snakes, the decision was made to relocate them because dogs regularly visited.
A pair of puff adders were safely relocated from beneath a cabin in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands after concerns they could come into contact with dogs visiting the property.
Durban snake catcher Nick Evans said he was sent a video over the weekend showing two puff adders moving beneath a cabin in the Dargle area, prompting him and Dr Carla Goede, a vet with a special interest in reptile conservation and snakebite management, to travel to the property the following morning.
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Although the cabin’s occupant was not concerned about the snakes, the decision was made to relocate them because dogs regularly visited the property, raising fears of a potentially deadly encounter.
The snakes had disappeared beneath the cabin after being filmed, and Evans said he was confident they would still be sheltering there despite the cold weather.
“When we arrived [the next day] it was 4C, not exactly basking conditions,” Evans said.
The search involved lifting metal sheets and sorting through items stored beneath the cabin.
It did not take long before eyes were on the female.
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“It didn’t take long before I spotted the female, after Carla had lifted some sheeting. It was curled up on some stored items,” he said.
“We could tell it was the female. Less colourful than the male we had seen in the video.”
Using an African Snakebite Institute snake hook, Goede safely lifted the female and placed it into a bucket.
Finding the second snake proved more challenging.
Evans said they searched extensively before he noticed a cardboard picture holder that offered the perfect shelter from the cold.
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“I lifted it up, and shook it twice, and out came the male puff adder. Not the start to the day he’d have liked,” he said.
He was like an ice block, and could barely bring his tongue back in after flickering it out. Needless to say, he was a very easy catch.
After photographing the pair, Evans and Goede relocated both snakes to a nearby natural habitat suitable for puff adders.
