Snake catcher removes a large, highly venomous cobra from a South African living room

A South African homeowner was very surprised to find a large, highly venomous cobra in their living room. Luckily, nobody was hurt, and a snake catcher rescued the day.

Here's what to know

In a YouTube video, a content creator posting as Lowveld Snake Catcher (@LowveldSnakeCatcher) documented the encounter in Nelspruit, South Africa. The post identified the animal as a snouted cobra, or Naja annulifera.

A snake's disappearance into the garden had thwarted the catcher's search of the property two days earlier, he explained. The tail was the clue that led the catcher to suspect he was seeing the same snake again, despite an initial suggestion from someone at the home that it was a different animal.

The video shows the snake catcher grabbing the tail and pulling the huge cobra out from behind the front door. "It's quite a big one," he said, holding up the snake. "Really not something you want in your house." 

The caption praised the homeowner's decision to seek help: "The homeowner did the right thing and called Lowveld Snake Catcher instead of trying to kill it."

What can be done?

The cobra was eventually secured in a bag outside, but only after resisting. The catcher had asked for help opening the bag. "There we go. That's it. I'm glad we could get this one," he said.

The bagging process, however, raised questions among viewers after the catcher mentioned that a harmless spotted bush snake was already inside.

"Why would you put it with a bush snake? Did the bush snake survive?" one commenter asked. The account doesn't answer that question or document either snake's eventual release.

Another viewer praised the capture while suggesting that additional equipment could help avoid putting animals together. "Great capture! You may want to get some extra bags so you dont have to double creatures up. Thanks for sharing. Love what you do"

Where can I learn more?

Cobras have turned up in homes and other hiding places well beyond Nelspruit. These stories describe discoveries and captures in South Africa, India, and the Philippines.

• In South Africa, a yellow cobra hid in debris and fed on rats.

• In Assam, rescuers removed a monocled cobra from a tea-estate bungalow after a tense hour.

• In India, a snake catcher wrangled two massive cobras, using his hat as a decoy.

• In Udaipur, a wildlife rescuer found a rare white cobra beneath a cupboard inside a home.

• A Philippines homeowner captured a juvenile Luzon king cobra alive after finding it indoors.

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