Imagine hearing a hissing sound coming from your Christmas tree. Could it be the lights? The jingling of the baubles? Nope – it’s one of the world’s most venomous snakes.
South African family Rob and Marcela Wild along with their two children had just finished decorating their tree when they noticed a snake emerge from the branches.
The snake – which turned out to be a female Boomslang snake – had reportedly been hiding in the tree all along and had only emerged when the decorating was done.
Snake catcher Gerrie Heyns was sent photos of the snake’s head poking out the tree and initially dismissed it as a prank.
“I received a call for a snake in someone’s home on a farm,” he wrote on Facebook.
“They sent me two photos and I couldn’t believe my eyes! Yes… Boomslang in their Christmas tree! It was 62km from Montagu and I told them to not bother it and keep eyes on the snake. It was rural farm area and it took me about 90min to get there.”
After safely capturing the snake, Gerrie released the snake back into its natural habitat.
