As snake season arrives with warning bells, a video has surfaced of a BMW driver and a massive snake… and it's not his only scaly companion.
With warmer weather and the arrival of snake season, snakes that hibernated over the winter become active again to feed and breed. But the snakes casually “chauffeured” around Soweto might be a bit too active for most people.
Last week, a video clip of a BMW driver and his slithering passenger caused a frenzy among TikTok users, with the man claiming that he actually keeps as many as nine snakes at home and enjoys playing with them.
Video: BMW driver rides a snake
In the first TikTok clip shared by @tumisoweto, the snake can be seen dangling out of the passenger window of a parked BMW.
As if the sight of a snake squirming outside a car wasn't shocking enough, its size sparked an even greater frenzy on social media, with some people joking that it's one way to avoid getting hijacked.
At the time of publishing this article, the clip has been viewed an astounding 1.7 million times.
Tsumisowet 🐍
♬ Original song – Tanuki
“I will never stop loving snakes.”
The driver, described in the comments section as “a mechanic from Protea Glen who specialises in fixing BMWs”, confessed in a follow-up video that he owns a total of nine snakes.
“Hi everyone, it's me on this snake thing. I'm a snake catcher. I love reptiles.”
“You can believe what you like. I have nine snakes in total and my love for snakes will always continue.”
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Snakes are Lives! How to Stay Safe During Snake Season
But if you're not a snake lover like the BMW driver in question, what precautions can you take to stay safe during snake season?
“Prevention is always better than cure, especially when it comes to snakebites,” says Dr Kevin McEwen, a trauma surgeon in the emergency department at Netcare St Augustine's Hospital.
“Many people are bitten while cornering or chasing snakes they encounter, and when threatened the snake will try to defend itself.
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“While accidental contact with snakes does occur – for example, when a snake is under a building and someone is walking past – the most likely contact occurs when a person encounters a snake and tries to catch it.”
- If you see a snake, the golden rule is to keep an eye on it at all times and chase it from a safe distance of 4-5 metres.
- Remain calm and keep children and pets away from the area.
- If you find a snake in your home, chase it, but again, keep a safe distance.
- If you find them in the bathroom or bedroom, close the door and secure the bottom of the door with a towel. Go outside and close all the windows.
- Call a professional snake catcher.
- Don't try to pick up a snake you can't identify.
What to do if you are bitten by a snake?
- Stay calm. “Stay calm,” says Dr. McEwen.
- Observe the snake closely so you can identify what it is. Dr. McEwen says doctors need to know what snake bit you so they can treat you with the appropriate antivenom if necessary.
- “Please take photographs of the snakes, preferably using your mobile phone camera, and we will put you in touch with experienced herpetologists. [snake experts] We often send in photos of the snake so that patients can accurately identify it.”
- Please go to the hospital immediately.
Dr. McEwen stresses not to wait until symptoms appear before deciding you need help.
“If you are bitten by a snake, don't wait and see; the neurotoxin can start to work rapidly, within 30 minutes.”
“Call an ambulance immediately or have someone take you straight to hospital so you can monitor the progression of your symptoms in a safe environment.”
What is the average cost of snakebite treatment?
Cape Town-based snake handling trainer Willem van Zyl said the average cost of treating a snakebite in hospital was about R200,000.
“If surgery is required the cost can well exceed R1 million so it's much cheaper to call a snake trapper if you find one rather than trying to deal with it yourself,” he said. News 24.
Snake season alert: Beware of stiletto snakes…
Dr McEwen said the most common bites seen by Netcare St Augustine's emergency department so far were from harmless-looking hyena snakes and burrowing pit vipers.
Cape Town reptile expert Tyrone Ping said stiletto snakes were found in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Free State, North West, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape.
After the Mozambique spitting cobra and puff adder, stiletto snakes are responsible for the majority of serious snakebite incidents in South Africa.
“People make the mistake of thinking stiletto snakes are harmless and picking them up in their hands, not realising that stiletto snakes have sharp fangs on either side of their mouth which can move independently of the other mouth,” Dr McEwan explained.
“If you try to grab them from behind the neck, you can easily stab your fingers with their fangs. It's a great defense technique, so it's the most common snake bite we see.”
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