A snake catcher called for a jackhammer during a difficult rescue at a South African home. A highly venomous Cape cobra had slipped beneath a concrete slab and stayed there despite an attempt to coax it out with a gardening hose.
Here's what to know
The encounter took place on Oct. 20, 2026, at a residential property, according to Briefly News.
A cobra at the security gate interrupted a brief stop at home for the homeowner. She was between a hospital visit and a planned trip to the pharmacy.
She eventually reached the gardener working nearby, but only after freezing, moving backward and forward, and screaming. She had opened the gate to find the cobra upright with its tongue flicking.
Both saw the cobra disappear into the space beneath the concrete.
She called in a snake catcher, Kevin. The gap beneath the concrete gave the cobra a hiding place that people could not easily reach. For his first attempt, he worked carefully with a gardening hose, spraying water into the gap to draw the animal out.
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When attempting to flush the snake out, Kevin was concerned about avoiding a flood that could drown the cobra.
A search of the surrounding garden ruled out the possibility that the cobra had slipped out unseen and taken refuge in a tree. The cobra, presumably, remained beneath the slab.
After the gardening hose proved unsuccessful, Kevin requested a jackhammer to break through the concrete.
The prospect of breaking the concrete divided viewers, with some questioning whether removing the snake justified damaging the property.
"I'm not destroying my floor over a snake. If it was my house, that concrete block would be its forever home," one commenter wrote.
"Why destroy your property for a snake?" another commenter asked.
Other commenters also suggested sealing the opening rather than removing the cobra.
@snake.catcher99 #snake #deadly #house #rescue #python #reptile #wildlife ♬ original sound - Snake Catcher
The jackhammer did prove to be successful, and the cobra emerged with a feisty attitude. Kevin was able to capture the cobra and release it in a non-residential area.
Where can I learn more?
Other snake catchers have faced similar challenges with snakes hiding in hard-to-reach places.
• In South Africa, a handler filmed a large snake in a toilet before it entered the pipes.
• A South African homeowner spotted one snake before a catcher found two black mambas.
• In South Africa, a catcher watched a roof hole before a massive black mamba emerged.
• South African homeowners spotted a snake in a garage box, which proved to be a black mamba.
• In South Africa, a cobra hid in debris, feeding on rats until police arrived.
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