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Python eats pet kitten
10/01/2006 13:07 - (SA)
Fred Katerere
Nelspruit - When Aboobaker Patel found that an African Rock Python had eaten his kitten, he didn't kill the snake.
Instead, he called the Mpumalanga Parks Board to safely remove the 1,5m-long reptile from his home in Valencia outside Nelspruit.
The snake was then released into the Mthethomusha game reserve.
Patel said his gardener found the snake on Wednesday last week and immediately called him.
"I'd previously seen a snake expert being interviewed on television and took down the number that appeared on the screen, so I was able to call him," said Patel.
He said he'd seen a bigger python in the area last year.
MPB spokesperson Jimmy Masombuka praised Patel for not killing the snake, because rock pythons are a protected species in South Africa. This means that a special permit is needed to capture them, and anyone who kills them can be arrested.
The African rock python is the third largest snake in the world and can live up to 30 years. It likes to be near water and the edges of forests.
It kills by coiling its body around its prey and then squeezing tight until the creature suffocates to death. It then starts to swallow it.
Masombuka advised anyone else who finds unwanted pythons to call Chris Hobkirk, who caught the python at Patel's house, on 082 372 3350 or 013 759 5394.
Another snake catcher is April Lukhele who can be reached on 082 280 71057 or 013 759 5382.
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South Africa
