With the arrival of the summer rains in January and February, came new life typically unseen during the winter months. Frogs, tortoises and snakes appeared in abundance. These fresh additions to the landscape bring it to life and catapults the opportunities for fascinating sightings to new levels.
Working and living in the bush is truly special and brims with excitement and enchantment. Add a little danger to the mix, and you often get a sense of living on the edge. No two days are ever the same and this is something very unique and keeps not only game rangers engaged, but visitors as well. The unexpected becomes a frequent occurrence. Surprise remains a constant in the equation.
On a hot summer’s afternoon, Jumari and I were busy outside on our patio sorting out the loft and cooking food. With all this activity there was constant movement in and out of the house as we attended to our chores. Unbeknown to us we were being watched by a rather large snake. After passing a highly venomous snake within two meters several times during the course of the day, something shiny caught Jumari’s eye and it became clear we were not alone.
The initial coloring ID was almost instant, and it was clearly a Mozambique spitting cobra. It took a couple of minutes for us the re-gain composure and position ourselves for what needed to happen next. Using our African snakebite institute equipment, we were able to safely move the cobra off our patio and safely into the snake tube.
Being rather lethargic at first, the cobra then started to liven a little. It spat in our direction a few times, but thanks to the protective glasses we were wearing, we had nothing to worry about.
We took the snake to the middle of Black Rhino and released it safely into the bush. Unfortunately, due to it being a dangerous snake, no photos of the capture were taken as it was all hands on deck at the time.
There are never any dull moments in the African bushveld.
Kindest bush regards
Evan