An enormous python who suffered continuous electric shocks after getting stuck in an electric fence at a farm in South Africa was rescued by a group of friends, a video shows.
The group stumbled across a South African python while on a run in the Greater Durban area. The footage, taken by Natasha Barnes, shows the top half of the 9-foot snake stuck halfway through a fence. It was unable to move backward or forwards to escape.
Barnes told Newsweek they thought it was dead at first. “But then while we stood there and watched the electric fence pulse through the poor creature we could see it move ever so slightly,” she said.
Another member of the group, Penny Fourie, insisted on touching the fence to “see how the snake felt” while the electricity pulsed through its body. In a Facebook post, Barnes said that many “bad words” followed.
The python was getting weaker, and the group knew they had to move quickly. Barnes said that luckily the top half of the snake was away from them, meaning they could help the snake without fear of getting bitten by its “rows of sharp teeth.”
South African pythons are not venomous but can inflict a serious bite if provoked, although this is rare.
Barnes said: “We were not nervous at all… when we found the python, we agreed collectively that no one with a conscience could continue on without at least trying to save this animal. We did not even give it a second thought.”
On Facebook, local snake catcher and expert Nick Evans, who assisted with the rescue, identified the snake as a Southern African python. These snakes are the biggest in South Africa and can reach 18 feet in size, and weigh around 142 pounds. They are a protected species but many are killed to be sold for muthi, a traditional medicine practice in Southern Africa, according to Evans. Other issues the snakes face include habitat destruction, he said.
The group called Evans for advice on how to help the snake. Evans suggested the friends cut a hole in the fence. But first, they would have to stop the electricity.
The group found the farm manager, who switched off the electricity and arrived to cut the wire and freed the snake. In the footage, the snake can be seen slowly beginning to move through the fence.
The snake rested for a while and regained its strength before workers at the farm collected it in an old duvet cover to release it into a safer environment, Evans said.
In a Facebook post commenting on the rescue Evans said he has seen two pythons die from becoming stuck in electric fences.
Evans said: “For this beautiful, big specimen to be saved, was so important. Hopefully, it lives a good life, and has learned to avoid electric fences! It was so encouraging to see that this group cared so much. I see a lot of cruelty towards snakes every day. Seeing people go out of their way like this, with such determination, was just brilliant.”
source: newsweek.com
