Watch: Farmer, citizens react in true SA-fashion as python climbs tree
A video posted on Boland Snake Removals 24/7 and Pest Control's Facebook page shows the huge snake, identified by the page as an African rock python, slithering up a tree. As the python, believed to be pregnant, makes its way up the tree, you can hear branches breaking – and the farmer's hilarious reaction.
'Liewe donner die ding is dik,' the farmer says in Afrikaans. An approximate translation to English would be 'Good heavens, this thing [the python] is thick.'
The farmer wishes to remain anonymous to protect the snake from being killed for muti.
Warning: The following video contains strong language
With over 1 500 comments, the discussion beneath the post offers plenty to entertain:
One comment, from Anton Eksteen, posted in Afrikaans but translated into English reads: 'If you thought Usain Bolt was the world record holder in the 100m, wait until I spot a [snake] like this… Usain Bolt would look like an amateur.'
While Collen Emeunc offered a traditional brandy as a reward for the farmer's camera work: 'Camera man come fetch Klipis & coke .'
About the climb
How common is it that African rock pythons climb trees? According to a post by Patrick Sherman on Animal Diversity Web, the large-bodied snake mainly stays on the ground, but climbs if the need arises.
'They can swim well and stay submerged for a long time, which is advantageous for avoiding potential threats,' the post adds.
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Daily Maverick
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