‘Fearless Fred’ Lubbe lived up to his reputation on Sunday when he wrestled a Forest Cobra that had taken refuge among bricks in an Arboretum garden.
‘On Sunday morning I received a call from a man who said he had a cobra of sorts in his garden,’ said Lubbe.
‘I had removed snakes from the complex before, but when I got there I could not find the snake.
‘I told them what to do if they see it again, and later in the afternoon they phoned to say it was there and they had it cornered.’
When Lubbe returned to the property, he found the snake among some bricks that were laying in the garden.
‘After pulling the blocks away with my hook, I heard the snake hiss and knew it was a large cobra.
‘After a little more moving of the blocks, the snake showed its head, but in a flash was back in.
‘I got hold of it by the tail with my left hand and held on as it was trying to pull its tail in with meaning.
‘Then the snake’s head popped out at the furthest point – it was big – and, still holding onto its tail, I tried to get its head with my tong but it pulled back again.’
A few moments of tug of war ensued but eventually the snake’s head darted out right next to the tail.
‘It had a go at my hand but missed as I jerked away.
‘Shortly after that I caught the stunning 1.57m Forest Cobra, which was released in a safe environment on Monday morning.’
The Forest Cobra can reach a length of 2.7m and feeds on amphibians, fish, other snakes, lizards, bird eggs and small mammals.
It is highly venomous and its venom is neurotoxic.
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