Cape Cobra rescued near Philadelphia (2017-01-14)
Late this afternoon I received a call from someone in Philadelphia asking whether I could collect a Cape Cobra they had caught and put into a bin.
This cobra was pretty defensive by the time I got there, as you’ll see in the video. Note though, how even though he wasn’t in the best of moods, he still went and hid as soon as he had a chance.
It's very easy to hurt a snake's spine or ribs when using tongs, so I prefer to use the hook-and-tail method whenever possible. However, in this case I had to use my left hand to manage the net so I unfortunately had to use my tongs.
Please try to not ever handle snakes yourself - it's safest to leave handling to the experts and rather just keep an eye on the snake until one of us arrives. Luckily no-one got hurt and I was able to release the snake elsewhere.
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Also known as a "Koperkapel" or "Geelslang" in Afrikaans, the Cape Cobra is a common venomous snake that can range in colour from yellow through reddish brown to black.
When threatened or cornered, Cape Cobras are quick to spread a hood and won't hesitate to bite. Their venom is highly neurotoxic (the most potent of any African cobra), attacking the nervous system and causing respiratory collapse (the victim stops breathing).
Cape Cobras feed on rodents, birds, lizards, toads, and other snakes.
Oviparous, they lay 8-20 eggs in mid-summer.