Rudolf Erasmus, the pilot of a Beechcraft Baron, has been hailed a hero by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) for safely executing an emergency landing in Welkom with four passengers after realising a Cape cobra had snuck inside the aircraft.
Hardly ideal in the midst of a country-wide antivenom shortage.
When the alarming discovery was made that a very poisonous snake had snuck onto a flight from Cape Town to Nelspruit, Captain Rudolf Erasmus had to quickly and calmly decide to make an emergency landing in Welkom.
At the moment of the shocking discovery, Erasmus said that he felt something cold against his back at an altitude of 9 000 feet (2.7 km).
Once safely on the ground, the pilot and his four passengers made a hasty exit from the aircraft after it safely landed.
Johan de Klerk, a snake handler, and the Executive Director of Capital Sounds International Broadcast, Brian Emmenis, were called to the scene but couldn’t the cobra yet.
According to Brian Emmenis, mielie meal was spread to entice the unwanted passenger out of the plane, but with temperatures in Welkom so low, it’s no surprise he hasn’t left yet.
The snake handlers were scheduled to arrive at 9am to assist, and the SPCA has offered to transport the cobra safely back to his home.
Cape cobras are one of Africa’s most venomous snakes, and their venom is highly neurotoxic, attacking the nervous system. If left untreated, the venom can cause paralysis, respiratory failure and even death in humans.
Due to a severe lack of antivenom in South Africa, snake bite victims are only getting half the amount of snake venom they need, if they get any treatment at all.
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