Praises for elderly man following dozens of Durban snake alerts

Hennie van Heerden, a 72-year-old from Welkom, has received dozens of calls over the years from local residents alerting him to snakes in their homes and business premises.

He says he later realised that his contact number was just a single-digit different to that of Durban-based professional snake handler, Jason Arnold. 

"It started from the first time that he put his number out for people to find him - and it was years ago. I didn't know what was happening but after a few calls - I thought something was wrong and I eventually figured it out," van Heerden said.  

Arnold says Van Heerden could have easily dismissed the calls, but took the time to find out who the KZN callers were trying to reach. 

"He could have got irritated, changed his SIM card and got another number. Instead, he did his homework and eventually figured out who I was and what my number was. He's since been speaking to people. When they phone him about snakes - he gives them the correct number." 

Meanwhile, Arnold says Spring is the beginning of the breeding season for most of the snakes. 

"When September comes along, we start getting busier. It gets busier until November. Which is the busiest month of the entire year. December, January and February are surprisingly less busier. You would think that there would be more call-outs in Summer. It's a bit hot and unconformable for the snakes - and they do shy away a bit more." 

Arnold says his snake handling service, Universal Reptiles has received a number of calls in and around the city just this week.