Rob and Marcela Wild were with their children putting the finishing touches on the Christmas tree in their home in Cape Town, South Africa, when an uninvited guest showed up.
Their two cats alerted the family that something was wrong. Marcela moves an ornament hoping to find a rat, but screams when she sees a snake coming back to her.
A king cobra, the most venomous snake in the country, slithers around the branch of a fake Christmas tree that the family calls expert snake exterminator, Gerrie Heyns.
“Drop by drop, they’re the most venomous snakes in South Africa but they don’t kill as much as cobras or mambas because their venom works very slowly,” said Gerrie told Mirror. “You have about 8 to 20 hours to go to the hospital and get the antidote.”
The longtime snake catcher thought the pictures he received from Rob were initially just a joke – until he got a call from him. “Now this is the first time for me!” he posted on Facebook, “They sent me two pictures and I couldn’t believe my eyes! Yes… Boomslang in their Christmas tree! ”
Gerrie told the family to stay away from the snake but not to take their eyes off it. He drove 90 minutes to the remote farm to rescue his family and the snake.
When he arrived, the snake was still in the tree but getting her out was a challenging task. Gerrie recalls, “It wasn’t easy to catch because it was very agile and it was constantly going up and down and spinning around the tree and I was trying not to damage the decorations or the lights.”
The snake eventually escaped from the tree but was caught before she could escape to another hideout.
The family came back to life after the snake was caught. Rob speak, “I’ve made a lot of wishes to be under a tree for Christmas Day, but the one thing I don’t wish for is a 4-foot venomous snake.”
Fortunately, no one was harmed including the snake.
Gerrie released her back into the wild.
He believes the boomslang entered the house to escape the sun and then hid in a tree when she sensed movement.
People can’t resist commenting on Gerrie’s post about the daring rescue. While fellow snake lovers are curious and provoking…
One Written, “🎵🎶“ On the thirteenth day of Christmas, my true love sent you – a Christmas tree… 🎶🎵 🐍🎄🐍🎄🐍🎄, ”
People who are afraid of snakes say they will “die” if they see a snake on their tree. Again commented, “She might have a tree, decorations, and gifts… .like from me….”
Gerrie advise People should call a professional if they encounter snakes. “These things happen quite often here in the summer. Snakes will bite if you try to mess with them or try to kill it. It is best to stand back and wait for a trained snake remover to handle the situation.”
Watch the snake rescue in the video below.
