Deadly Snake Captured From Lodge After Several Hours Of Search And One Demolished Pavement

Two snake catchers had to demolish a pavement to capture a forest cobra after the venomous reptile was found in a lodge in Zinkwazi, South Africa. The whole search operation lasted for over five hours.

A post on snake rescuer Nick Evans’ Facebook page stated on Sept. 17 he received a photo of a forest cobra "basking on a deck of a lodge." Evans arrived at the lodge the following day but couldn’t find the reptile. Two days later, the owners of the lodge sent him another photo of the reptile "basking on the retaining wall." When Evans and his fellow rescuer, Nick Saunders, reached the lodge, the owners said the reptile "had gone into a hole in the retaining wall."

"As we then feared, it turned out to be very bad news. There were clear holes going through the sand, under the one block, and then going downwards and upwards along the top of the wall. Above the wall was concrete paving. This snake could be anywhere! We could have waited. But we could have ended up waiting all day, and not ever see it. Plus, we'd have had to have backed off if we were to wait. If it came out, and we approached, it would see us and duck in the hole again," Evans said in the Facebook post.

Luckily, the owner gave them the permission to demolish the pavement to locate the snake. However, it wasn't easy as the pavement was "solid and thick."

Using a giant drill, the snake catchers, along with some help from a local builder, managed to demolish some parts of the pavement.

"After hours of drilling, smashing concrete with the hammer, scooping crushed concrete away, I decided enough was enough, albeit hastily. My hands were blistered and raw, as were my feet. My arms were tired. My ears were ringing and numb. I was done. We were sure it was at the bottom of the wall, and the concrete there was just too thick. We left, hoping it would be out and about the next day," he wrote in the post.

However, while heading back home, he received a call from the owner stating the snake was back and that he had seen it slithering down the wall. The snake catchers immediately returned to the lodge.

"I climbed down the wall in a rushed manner, desperately trying to find the snake. Then, I spotted a pitch-black tail at the bottom. My adrenaline pumped even higher! It went through the pipe and out the other side, and slithered quickly around the house, with me in pursuit. Just as it tried to dash under the house, I grabbed its tail, and I wasn't about to let go! Under the house was piles of wood, which would be a nightmare to sift through! With me holding its tail, it tried swinging around a bit, but I managed to keep the sharp end from me with a hook. It soon calmed down. Phew. It was over, at last!" Evans recalled.

The highly venomous snake was around five feet long and "beautiful." On Wednesday, Evans posted a video of the snake being released into the wild.