Durban South Snake Rescue

02/09/2025

02/09/2025

On Saturday the 30th of August I got a phone call from a resident in Northdene, where I have caught numerous venemous snakes before including a Black Mamba last year with Nick Evens. So I knew what I was in for.. Getting sent a picture of a Mamba high up in a tree in a very unaccessible pice of bush, and knowing how difficult the catch was last year. I phone a friend of mine, my daughter and her boyfriend accompanied me to the property. With Dave and Savannah being a lookout at the top of the bank watching the Mamba in the tree, Travis and I set out on the daunting task of scouting the bush to get to the Mamba. Getting tangled in every vine and every thorn bush we could find. Eventually getting to the spot with the help of a lot of people shouting directions from the top. By this time we had gathered quite a large crowd.
Stuck in the bush with the longest pair of tongs I have, basically about 10 cm out of my reach from it, it decided it was just going to move further away from me. Realizing that I could slide further down the bank into a clearing where I could stand up, I post sight of the Mamba and Travis shouted it was right above me in the branches which actually ended up being a tree. So climbing into the tree I reached up as high as I could with my extra long tongs, and very gently just removed it out of the tree. Got hold of it with my second pair of tongs behind the head, necked it safely and got it in the bucket. Thank you to my look outs Savannah and Dave and Travis for following me through the bush and passing me my tongs as I needed them.




#0842679402

02/09/2025

On a happier note spring has sprung a little bit early for me.
As the day and night time calls have started to pick up. In the last week I have gone on 3 calls all after 12am, all of them being the usual suspects. Brown House snakes and Red lipped Heralds. They are on the move, it's mating season. Remember these are the snakes we actually want around as they are very good toad controllers the Redlipped Heralds which is commonly mistaken as a Black Mamba with its Grey color and intimidating stance of flattening it's black head and mick striking and hissing. The Brown house snakes love rats, mice and ghekos.




#0842679402

02/09/2025

Apologies we haven't posted in a while as winter was very cold with very very minimal snake activity. Here and there a call out but nothing really to write home about.
Except in the middle of August we were called out to Clairmont on the outskirts of Pinetown. It was explained to me by a gentleman that they had spotted a very thick bodied yellow colored snake down at the bottom of a Tavern by the river. I asked for a couple of pictures and realized it was some sort of exotic python so we very hastely jumped in the car and made our way through peak traffic. And got there in record time to try and save this snake.
On arrival I was greeted by a very intoxicated person that directed me down to the river. My daughter and I made our way down to the river, on the way down the gentleman explained to me that some of the local children, had thrown rocks at it and tried to hit it with a plank. My daughter very calmly told me to expect the worst.
And that it was. I found about a 3 and a half meter Bermese Python that had been stoned and beaten to death by these children. Even though they are classified as an invasive species, in Natal and I would have had to hand it over to Kzn wildlife to be put down humanely. It is sad that it had to suffer such a gruesome death.
So I removed the dead Python and had to discard of the carcus.
My daughter and I were very heart broken to see such a beautiful animal beaten to death.




#0842679402

27/07/2025

Eastern Green
Had to climb a palm tree to catch a Eastern Green which was thaught to be a Green Mamba . Which met me half way down the tree. Non venomous species which is commonly mistaken as a Green Mamba.
With a couple of dud calls and people who can't afford to pay a call out we have been doing a lot of identifications, fortunately only non venomous. With no sponsorship and limited to no funds we couldn't assist.






#0842679402

27/07/2025

Not much to post . It's been a very quiet couple of weeks.
Seems most snake catchers are going through a dry spell.
Not good on on the pocket to us who rely on this , as this is our bread and butter.
It's been a very taxing winter for us.





#0842679402

27/06/2025

27/06/2025

On Moday as arriving at the shopping center to go get some odds and ends for dinner we received a call about a snake on a security gate. So we drove out of the centre to go on the snake call. Just as we drove out of the centre we heard a cluck noise while driving and all of a sudden there was no clutch and no breaks the car did not go anywhere.
We manged to stop the vehicle and pull slightly off the road . By this time the dark of the night was setting in.
We called a friend to come to the rescue.
Wow the snake still needed to get caught and removed. Trevor got to us in record time and Helen said we should rather go on the call out as it is not far from where we were. So off we went taking buckets and grabs into Trevor's vehicle. We went on the call. A beautiful Vine Snake was chilling . Odd to see them that late at night though. Easily caught it was put in the bucket. Off we went to where Helen was as she was waiting in the broken vehicle.
Trevor managed to fix the issue well enough to get home and we managed to fix the vehicle the next day.





#0842679402
We charge a call out fee to go and look for , catch and remove a snake.
We do not charge any fee for snake identifications which are on whatts app.
We do this for a living a hard life.
Thank you Trevor for coming to the rescue.