Durban - Local snake rescuer Nick Evans needed some assistance to unwrap a 2.5-metre male python which locked his arm and leg together.
Evans is working on a project with The LionHeart Experience.
“With any pythons we capture, we collect as much data off of them as possible, and then set them free again. Important data, as one aspect we’re looking at, is population size,” he said.
In an account of his experience, Evans said not only was it the mating season of green and black mambas, but it was also the mating season of pythons.
“Recently, in one wetland, we found eight pythons. Two groups of two males, then two females together, with a snake that escaped (possibly a male). A lone female was observed near two of the males,” he said.
Evans said seeing pythons in numbers was not unusual as the same thing was experienced last season.
He said males would gather around females but would not wrestle like mambas.
Evans said he loved working on this project and wished he could do it every day.
“You’ll see that pythons can get you in awkward positions. This 2.5-metre male had wrapped around my arm and leg, locking them together. Fortunately Richard Mckibbin was there to help me unwrap him,” he said.
Evans captioned the picture: ‘My hand was changing colour quickly.’
He added that constantly learning about an animal that he loved was very special and that research was fun, despite the admin that came with it.
