Durban — Snake rescuers, Jason Arnold and Nick Evans, and a construction team worked together to rescue three pythons - one female and two males - near a freeway in northern eThekwini.

Evans called it an exciting and special python rescue.

“Such a bizarre place to extract a python from, let alone three!” Evans said.

“A beautiful big female, and two young males.”

One of the pythons in a hole near the M4. | Nick Evans

Evans also thanked the construction crew working nearby who helped them, saying that if it was not for them, both him and Arnold would not have managed.

“While this species is protected by law, making it illegal to kill, we knew a passer-by would try. While we were hiding in the bush, waiting for them to come out to bask, a guy walked past with a panga or machete, appearing to be looking for them,” Evans said.

Evans said that apart from feral cats and dogs, they must have had little food.

“We were not taking chances, and we are happy to relocate them to a safe area,” Evans said.

He added that the construction company repaired the damage.

Arnold explained the circumstances surrounding the rescue of the pythons in detail. Arnold said he was initially called about pythons seen on a construction site somewhere between oThongathi, Desainagar and La Mercy.

The construction company needed the pythons removed from the site because they were building a structure.

Arnold asked Evans for assistance.

At the site where the pythons were spotted, Arnold established that the pythons might have gone underground, after he locating a hole. The construction team was approached to help remove some of the ground vegetation.

“The guys dug just enough for me to be able to stick my head in the hole and shine a torch which allowed me to see one of the snakes,” he said.

The construction team brought a TLB to help the snake rescuers get closer to the snakes. | Nick Evans

At first they did not know how many snakes were inside the hole and doubted whether they would be able to reach them. Both snake handlers devised a method and plan to get the snakes the following morning when the weather was suitable.

“The snakes come out and sit on the vegetation to get a bit of sunshine. Once they have done so, our plan was to pounce on them,” he said.

Arnold was concerned that if the snakes were exposed they would cross over the M4 roadway and get run over by cars.

“They are nocturnal, so they will actually be cruising around at night, which is very, very dangerous.”Arnold said.

Jason Arnold with one of the pythons after pulling it out of the hole. | Nick Evans

Both snake handlers returned the next day as planned. They sat quietly in the bushes and waited for the pythons. After a while, they decided to dig the pythons out. Evans was ready with his pickaxe.

After a few tries, they requested help from construction team. Some snakes were behind a thick layer of concrete. They could still see snakes in the pit.

The construction team came with a TLB to help them.

After a few digs by the TLB, the snakes could be seen on the other side of the drain, near the freeway.

After more digs by the TLB, Evans came with a shovel to get closer to the snakes.

“It’s moving around Nick, moving around, getting anxious,” Arnold said to Evans about one of the snakes.

Jason Arnold in the hole trying to coax one of the pythons. | Nick Evans

Evans kept digging, enough for them to get their upper bodies in the hole.

On his back, Arnold carefully descended into the hole to pull the first snake out, with Evans assisting from above. The female was “chunky” as Evans described.

After putting the female in the box, they needed a pipe to ‘annoy’ the second snake.

Eventually the second snake came down.

“It’s a little snake,” Evans said.

“It’s so chilled and cute. You don’t see many this size,” Evans said about the second snake. “Young to mate.”

Nick Evans with a small male python. | Nick Evans

Arnold said there was another male snake in the hole which he also tried to annoy.

As it came down, Evans said the snake was a bit bigger than the previous one.

“Very small males,” Evans said.

“A bit more feisty.”

Arnold looked into the hole if there was a fourth snake but there were only three.

Soon, Arnold and Evans released the snakes in an undisclosed location suitable for snakes.

The pythons were released into a natural habitat. | Nick Evans

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