South Africa rescuer removes venomous cobra from woman's room, then safely relocates it

After a woman found a cobra in her bedroom in South Africa, she called in a trained wildlife rescuer. 

The clip of the serpent's removal is now making the rounds online.

What happened?

The now-viral clip shows how quickly a wildlife encounter can turn dangerous when a venomous animal ends up inside a human living space.

After a woman found the cobra in her room, Tyrone Ping of Reptiles of South Africa was called to the scene. Later, in a short YouTube video, Ping showed off his capture of the snake before moving it to another location.

After entering the premises, Ping initially struggled to locate the snake, although he believed that it was underneath a couch. Once he spotted the cobra, Ping attempted to flush it out into the open, with little success in what he later described as a "runaround."

Eventually, he was able to grab hold of the serpent, saying, "He still has a lot of growing to do." Ping then secured the cobra in a tube before releasing it later near the mountains. 

Why does it matter?

Cobras can deliver medically significant bites, meaning any attempt to remove one without training could put a person at serious risk.

These encounters are not always random. As human activity alters local ecosystems, animals can end up in much closer contact with people. Homes can also attract prey such as rodents, which may draw snakes nearby. Expanding neighborhoods, habitat fragmentation, and food sources created by human settlement can also make these run-ins more common.

It's important to note that snakes play an important role in ecosystems by helping control rodent populations. But when they are killed out of fear, that loss can ripple beyond a single backyard or neighborhood.

Luckily, rather than panicking or trying to kill the cobra, the woman smartly called for help, a decision that likely protected both her safety and the snake's life.

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