South Africa family finds venomous puff adder in garage after it hitchhikes home in car

One South African family got an alarming surprise after discovering that they had unknowingly transported a venomous puff adder in their car after a trip to the Midlands countryside.

For several days, they had no idea they had done so, until they spotted the snake curled up on a garage windowsill.

What happened?

According to East Coast Radio, the family from Durban had unpacked and slipped back into their normal routine after the trip. A few days later, they noticed a thick brown snake in the garage and called snake rescuer Nick Evans.

Evans initially suspected he was dealing with a brown house snake, which is seen more often around Durban. Instead, the animal turned out to be a puff adder, a highly venomous species that he explained is not usually found in the area, per ECR.

He then shared an image of the intimidating snake on Facebook, writing, "For Durban snake removers, Puff Adders are rare treats to catch, as they're not really found here. They start occurring further west, in the Upper Highway Area. So this was awesome!" 

Evans added the likeliest scenario is that the snake got into the undercarriage of the family's vehicle while they were in the Midlands and remained concealed until after the drive back to Durban.

Why does it matter?

In this case, a family road trip effectively became transportation for an animal that likely would never have ended up in the Durban garage on its own.

As humans travel more, build more, and continue expanding into natural spaces, encounters with wild animals can become increasingly common, as explored by BBC Future. And because puff adders are highly venomous, encountering one in a garage could have ended very differently if a child, pet, or unsuspecting adult had approached it.

The snake was also at risk. It had been carried far from where it likely originated and ended up trapped in an unfamiliar human setting.

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