Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/boomslang-snake-in-christmas-tree/

Rob and Marcela Wild, along with their children, were putting the final touches on their Christmas tree in their home in Cape Town, South Africa, when an uninvited guest appeared.

Their two cats alerted the family that something was amiss. Marcela moved an ornament expecting to maybe find a mouse but screamed when she saw a snake starring back at her.

A female boomslang, the most venomous snake in the country, slithered around the branches of their fake Christmas tree as the family called a professional snake remover, Gerrie Heyns.

“Drop-by-drop they are the most venomous snake in South Africa but they don’t kill as many as the cobra or mamba as their poison is very slow acting,” Gerrie told The Mirror. “You have about eight to 20 hours to get to hospital and get the antidote.”

The longtime snake catcher thought the photos he received from Rob were a joke at first – until he received his call. “Now this is a first for me!” he posted on Facebook, “They sent me two photos and I couldn’t believe my eyes! Yes… Boomslang in their Christmas tree!”

Gerrie told the family to stay away from the snake but to not take their eyes off it. He made the 90-minute drive to the remote farm to rescue the family and the snake.

When he arrived, the snake was still in the tree but getting her out proved to be a challenging task. Gerrie recalled, “It wasn’t an easy catch as it was very nippy and it kept going up and down and round and round the tree and I was trying not to upset the decorations or lights.”

Eventually the snake exited the tree but was caught before she could escape to another hiding place.

The family was so relieved once the snake was captured. Rob said, “I was wishing for a lot of things to be under the tree for Christmas Day but one thing I wasn’t wishing for was a four-foot long poisonous snake.”

Thankfully, no one was harmed including the snake.

Gerrie released her back into the wild.

He believes the boomslang entered the home to get out of the sun and then hid in the tree when she sensed movement.

People couldn’t resist commenting on Gerrie’s post about the daring rescue. Fellow snake lovers were intrigued and poked fun…

One wrote, “🎵🎶 “On the thirteenth day of Christmas my true love sent to me – a boomslang in a Christmas tree…🎶🎵 🐍🎄🐍🎄🐍🎄.”

People who are terrified of snakes said that would “die” if they saw a snake in their tree. Another commented, “She can have the tree, decorations and presents….its a nope from me….”

Gerrie advises people to call a professional if they encounter a snake. “These things happen quite often here in the summertime. Snakes will bite if you try messing with them or trying to kill it. Best is to stand back and wait for a snake remover who have been trained to deal with the situation.”

Check out the snake rescue in the video below.

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Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog