Snakes alive! Bakkie driver gets a surprise

By: CAR magazine

How would you react if a snake uncoiled itself from your vehicle’s side mirror while you where driving and started a desperate attempt to get inside your car (only to be foiled by the closed window)?

It appears that an Australian man driving a bakkie was calm enough to take some photos, which were posted to a Facebook page belonging to his employer: Nolan’s Auto Parts and Industrial Supplies.

A report on the incident from Australian news agency ABC News says that Ted Oiger was returning from a job on the South Coast of New South Wales when the red-bellied black snake (one of the 10 deadliest snakes on the continent according to Australian Geographic) appeared. Ted told “It’d come out from under the engine bay under the bonnet [hood]. It was probably a bit warm there.”

Oiger phoned his co-worker Kai Pearse who had a broom in the back of his bakkie, which he used to remove the snake.

“I just had a broom in the back of the ute and … basically just got him off the car nice and safely, and just ushered him into the bushland off on the side of the road,” Mr Pearse told the publication.

A similar incident, also with a red-bellied black snake, was reported by the Sydney Morning Herald recently. Michael Garbutt was out walking and when he returned to his red Mazda hatchback, he found a note that read, “This afternoon a red belly slithered up into your front left tyre. Please be careful”.

Mr Garbutt popped open his bonnet just in case and despite the warning he was shocked to discover the large snake in the engine bay.

“To say I was shocked is an understatement,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald in an interview. “On reflection I don’t think I would have put my hand out to pop the bonnet if I had known it was there.”

Mr Garbutt called a snake wrangler who managed to remove the snake safely after an hour of trying, as the snake had slithered deeper into the engine compartment.

Although not deadly, here in South Africa stiletto snakes become active in the warmer weather. Last  summer snake expert Jan Marais enlightened us on what to watch out for and these tip s still apply.

 

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