Grocott's Mail
  • NEWS
    • Courts & Crime
    • Features
    • Politics
    • People
    • Health & Well-being
  • SPORT
    • News
    • Results
    • Sports Diary
    • Club Contacts
    • Columns
    • Sport Galleries
    • Sport Videos
  • OPINION
    • Election Connection
    • Makana Voices
    • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
    • Newtown… Old Eyes
    • Incisive View
    • Your Say
  • ARTSLIFE
    • Cue
    • Makana Sharp!
    • Visual Art
    • Literature
    • Food & Fun
    • Festivals
    • Community Arts
    • Going Places
  • OUR TOWN
    • What’s on
    • Spiritual
    • Emergency & Well-being
    • Safety
    • Civic
    • Municipality
    • Weather
    • Properties
      • Grahamstown Properties
    • Your Town, Our Town
  • OUTSIDE
    • Enviro News
    • Gardening
    • Farming
    • Science
    • Conservation
    • Motoring
    • Pets/Animals
  • ECONOMIX
    • Business News
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Personal Finance
  • EDUCATION
    • Education NEWS
    • Education OUR TOWN
    • Education INFO
  • Covid-19
  • EDITORIAL
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending
  • After a turbulent period, South Africa’s oldest campus radio station, RMR 89.7 FM, celebrates radio licence renewal
  • As whistleblowers come forward, it’s our duty to protect them
  • Makhanda Fire Brigade praised by residents
  • Two deaths shock Makhanda
  • Makana Residents Association and Makhanda Business Forum to join forces
  • “It’s not like there are NO services” – Makana mayor
  • Makhanda mourns Eusebius McKaiser
  • Kivitts shines in a bonus point win for Brumbies
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Grocott's Mail
  • NEWS
    • Courts & Crime
    • Features
    • Politics
    • People
    • Health & Well-being
  • SPORT
    • News
    • Results
    • Sports Diary
    • Club Contacts
    • Columns
    • Sport Galleries
    • Sport Videos
  • OPINION
    • Election Connection
    • Makana Voices
    • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
    • Newtown… Old Eyes
    • Incisive View
    • Your Say
  • ARTSLIFE
    • Cue
    • Makana Sharp!
    • Visual Art
    • Literature
    • Food & Fun
    • Festivals
    • Community Arts
    • Going Places
  • OUR TOWN
    • What’s on
    • Spiritual
    • Emergency & Well-being
    • Safety
    • Civic
    • Municipality
    • Weather
    • Properties
      • Grahamstown Properties
    • Your Town, Our Town
  • OUTSIDE
    • Enviro News
    • Gardening
    • Farming
    • Science
    • Conservation
    • Motoring
    • Pets/Animals
  • ECONOMIX
    • Business News
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Personal Finance
  • EDUCATION
    • Education NEWS
    • Education OUR TOWN
    • Education INFO
  • Covid-19
  • EDITORIAL
Grocott's Mail
You are at:Home»Uncategorized»Man dies after snake attack
Uncategorized

Man dies after snake attack

Grocott's MailBy Grocott's MailSeptember 19, 2011No Comments2 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

 

A man died after an encounter with a venomous snake in Grahamstown last night.

 

A man died after an encounter with a venomous snake in Grahamstown last night.

 
While Netcare, whose paramedics attended to the man, refused to discuss the incident with Grocott’s Mail, Grahamstown SAPS spokesperson Captain Mali Govender said the victim, Shaun Moolman, had kept snakes and had died after a red spitting cobra released its venom in his face.
 
Moolman was reportedly asthmatic. According to Govender, Moolman and a friend who lived with him had
been about to take a photograph of the newly acquired reptile. As he was holding the snake, it spat venom in his face. It appeared that the venom had caused Moolman respiratory problems. He died on the scene.
 
According to local snake expert Basil Mills, it was extremely unusual for that type of snake to bite people.
“This is relatively small Eastern Africa snake, found in semi-desert areas, and doesn’t normally bite people. They stand up when threatened and spray their venom at their enemies. They also bite when surprised and feel threatened,” Mills said.
 
Mills said messages had been left on his cellphone, summoning him to the scene, but because he’d been working in the field, his phone had been switched off.
 
According to Wikipedia, the red spitting cobra, Naja pallida, is one of several spitting cobras in Africa. Like most, it contains a mixture of neurotoxic and cytotoxic venom. This snake seldom bites. Human deaths as a result of being bitten by this snake are rare, because due to its habitat, this species rarely encounters people. It is also not aggressive. 
 
Govender said Moolman, who held a permit issued by the department of environmental affairs and tourism, had kept around 34 species of snake, 89 reptiles in total, in his home. 
 
The department had been contacted and were due to visit Moolman’s home today. “An inquest docket has been opened with us and the post-mortem will be done today. Only after that can we confirm the cause of death.”
Previous ArticlePut a stop to rhino poaching
Next Article Graeme boy wins regional Maths Olympiad
Grocott's Mail

Comments are closed.

Tweets by Grocotts
Newsletter



Listen

The Rhodes University Community Engagement Division has launched Engagement in Action, a new podcast which aims to bring to life some of the many ways in which the University interacts with communities around it. Check it out below.

Humans of Makhanda

Humans of Makhanda

Weather    |     About     |     Advertise     |     Subscribe     |     Contact     |     Support Grocott’s Mail

© 2023 Maintained by School of Journalism & Media Studies.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.