A truck driver in Tzaneen, Limpopo got the shock of his life when he found a fifteen foot (4,57m) python in the bonnet of his vehicle.
The python was found on ZZ2 Farm, the largest producer of tomatoes and avocados in South Africa.
According to ZZ2 Farm marketing manager Clive Garrett, ‘The lorry driver had pulled up in the truck and the guys were loading it up with tomatoes when we think the snake slithered into the engine. It was a very cold morning and the engine would have been nice and warm so we think it coiled itself up around the engine block and settled down to have a nice little sleep out of the chill.’
As the truck driver tried to drive off, the fan belt began making a loud noise, causing him to check out the bonnet and find the python. His shocked screams drew out diesel mechanic Wynand Bloem, who quickly came to his aide.
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‘We work at one with nature at the farm and we knew we had to get the python out unhurt and return it to the wild so we spent a couple of hours stripping the engine out so that we could get to it.’
Along with other farmworkers, Bloem spent four hours stripping the truck of many of its engine parts. With enough parts removed, a brave farm worker reached into the bonnet and grabbed the python by its head. Slowly but surely, the farmworkers were able to extract the python from its hiding spot.
Following a photo shoot, the farmworkers released the python back into the forest.
Picture: Jamie Pyatt
Also read: Enormous Kruger python disappears into road
