Snakes for Africa

15/10/2025

A callout for a python in a rural chicken run. It had eaten a chicken last night and taken refuge under the corrugated metal roofing. The drive there and back was more difficult than the catch!
Thanks to JETBeam South Africa for the torch. Useful even on a sunny day. And Point-S Hillcrest for the tyres keeping me on the road.

14/10/2025

After Sunday night's burst tyre incident, Hillcrest business against crime and Point-S Hillcrest came up and sorted out not one, but two new tyres for my van.
Thanks guys! Much appreciated https://www.facebook.com/share/17Q3XjNtyp/

Fitment of tyres, shocks, batteries and brakes

12/10/2025

Sunday night "charity" callout casualty. A pothole destroyed my tyre on the way out of a freebie township callout this evening. I caught a small spitting cobra in a kitchen and hit a pothole on the way home.
I hate the expression "no good deed goes unpunished" but it definitely seems to be true.

11/09/2025

I was sent a video this morning of a large Boomslang sticking out from under a bakkie. The dogs alerted them. The caller said it had been there about half an hour and didn't seem keen to move off, which is unusual.
When I arrived a few minutes later, I saw why it hadn't moved off. It was trapped between the brake caliper and the drum! They had obviously driven over it without realizing, and it was trapped, injured and angry.
I was able to extricate it quite easily and will monitor it to see how it recovers.

18/07/2025

A Friday night callout for a 2m grey snake that turned out to be a 60cm Brown House snake.
The GPS at one point says turn left. It's a flippen staircase honey! I can't. But I was tempted. ..

17/07/2025

Definitely not my smoothest catch! Gosh. This Black Mamba was firing on all cylinders.

* Edit: I was in two minds about posting this video as it is definitely not flattering.
However, I decided to do so for two main reasons:
Firstly, it is guaranteed to get comments and interaction, which it has
Secondly, it shows people that even with years of experience and many catches under the belt, you can be humbled at any time, and must be able to roll with the punches. Snakes don't read the text books