Strandfontein family's Cobra terror

A Strandfontein family has been living a nightmare as a moerse Cape Cobra has been “terrorising” them for two weeks.

The family of six, who live in Frigate Road next to Strandfontein High School, say they are terrified to move around the house as they don’t know where the snake might pop up next.

They say the slang is brown in colour “and about 3 metres long”.

Anthony Walters, 21, says his family have not been able to sleep as neither snake handlers nor officers from the Cape of Good Hope SPCA have been able to find the snake.

He says on a Friday night two weeks ago, his dogs would not stop barking and his cousin went to check on them in the backyard.

“The snake wanted to come inside, but the dogs barking were blocking him. My cousin pulled the dogs back and closed the door,” explains Anthony.

“We went crazy. We called the SPCA and every other person we could think who could assist us. We closed all the windows and doors and I could not sleep that first night.”

The following day, Anthony spotted the Cobra on the roof, its hood spread, and even though he was terrified, he managed to take a picture of the slang.

But when the handler arrived, the snake had disappeared.

DON’T HISS ME OFF: Snake handler Elroy Arendse caught two snakes in Strandfontein

“The neighbour had a snake the other day as well. The handler told us it was poisonous and I think that just made it worse,” Anthony says.

Anthony, who is a model and who appeared in the Daily Voice in April looking for sponsors for a trip to New York to participate in a modelling competition, says the slang also affected his career, “costing him the title of Mr Western Cape 2019”.

“I drove out to Franschhoek early on Saturday morning to compete. I was tired and distracted. I was too preoccupied wondering if my family was OK. I placed second. This snake is really affecting us all badly,” he says.

Snake handler Elroy Arendse confirms the snake is a venomous Cape Cobra.

“When I got to Frigate Road, the guys were already on the roof and the snake had disappeared. It was hiding the entire time, but I will get it,” Arendse said.

He says he recently caught two snakes at a house in Recife Road, Strandfontein.

“Snakes usually come out when they are chasing rodents. So clutter, an open field, dog food, the kinds of things which attract rodents, bring the snakes out too,” he explains.

“The pair were in mating season, they were hiding under a box. We released those two back into the wild.”

To keep the area safe, he suggests residents trim down bushes and shrubs and eliminate anything that could be used as a hideout.

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