Robbers 'scarier' than snakes
2008-09-08 10:11
Pretoria - "Who cares about snakes, I'm much more scared of armed robbers," said snake handler Martin Smit, who had to watch helplessly as three robbers held up a snake park and fled with charity donations worth R50 000.
Smit, also known as Mad Martin, has been living with 40 venemous snakes in a special glass cage for 85 days. He will spend 110 days in the cage in an attempt to break the world record.
He was talking to Hennie Jonk, owner of the Chameleon Village Snake and Animal Park, shortly after midnight on Sunday when the robbers appeared at the glass cage.
"I went to the front of the cage and asked them what they wanted," Jonk said on Sunday.
"One screamed I had to stand back or he would shoot. I moved backwards, towards Martin who was standing at the window. The men took the money containers, which were still in front of the cage and fled."
Shots fired
Jonk rushed after the robbers with his firearm. "Outside the snake park, the robbers turned around and shot at me and I fired shots."
The robbers fled and the Brits police were called.
"The snake cage is being monitored 24 hours by web camera and we will get the video tape on Monday. Hopefully the robbers will be identified on it," said Jonk.
Smit still has to spend 25 days in the cage with mambas, boomslangs, cobras and puff adders, to break the world record.
"The idea with the Guinness record attempt was to market the park and at the same time, collect money for Save-a-Child. We estimate there was about R50 000 in the containers in front of the cage. Who would've thought that the snake park was a target for robbers?" asked Smit.
"I have had some close encounters with snakes over the past 85 days, but I was never as scared as during the robbery," he said as he picked up and moved a green mamba that was nestling against his foot.