Good few Cobras at Tokai today

[Dirt Tracker]

Just got back from a ride and apart from being thermo nuclear on the heat angle I managed to dodge 2 decent sized cobras one the way up. 1 at the quarry entrance and one at the top Faerie Garden entrance. Then on the way down at the very exit of the My Roots / DH 4 while hosting it I managed to see, not compute, brake, not brake as a very lazy large 'stick' was sliding over the entire trail.... then I rode over it's very tippy tail as it was going into the grass then ground to a halt. And man, it was p*ssed. It bolted onto the road and got pretty upright and pretty annoyed (understandably) and massive hood action and then a little voice in my head was like 'why HAVE you stopped about 2.5m from something bitey who you have blatantly annoyed'. Slowly backed away and rolled away, he stayed annoyed and upright as he faded into the distance. I guess all those 'it's snake season on the mountain' is true after all. 

On the plus side I did beat my PR down outta there to the parking! 

[Alouette3]

Missed all the big boys thankfully, but we did have a decent sized mole snake on the road at the ticket office this morning. The season has begun 

[W Smith]

My biggest fear this time of the year. And I know that it is just a matter of time and I will come across one of these buggers on the trails.I rode over one at Hoogekraal a few years ago and those 2 seconds felt like the longest 2 seconds I have ever experienced in my  life . 

[Robbie Stewart]

 

Apparently there is a cobra explosion in the Cape this year according to snake catchers. Heard this 2nd hand from my boet, who had two very large puffy's come for a visit last week.

 

 

[Dirt Tracker]

Seems so, just found out house a couple of doors down from ours just lost their their 2 dogs to a suspected cobra this arvo. Plus the daily sightings in the lower plantation around the rivers and the Labrador pool seems it has ramped up this year. 

[tubed]

Lots of them moving around now, had two cobras in the garden in the last 2 weeks, thankfully the dog seems to have learned to call me by barking and keeping her distance.

I'm no expert but from what I understand the wetter winter helped with moisture and hatching of eggs, then just about everything they eat bred well too, now the water has dried up (over the last month) so they have to move more to find it and the heat has increased so more water needed. All in all - there are more this season and they are moving now (sounds like a horror movie script).

I'm upgrading from using my old golf clubs to hook them - waiting for my hook and tongs to arrive from Tongs, Hooks and Bagging Systems - African Snakebite Institute 

[Prince Albert Cycles]

I have seen more snakes during the past 3 weeks than in the whole of the last year .

One very angry Cobra on the road to Die Hel this week on Monday and 2 sightings of huge puff adders on Rooiberg Pass and just past Van Wyksdorp 3 weeks ago and a 2m long Cobra near Calitzdorp on the same day

[The Ouzo]

even up here in GP there has been more activity.

In our area someone spotted a snake skin, then the next person spotted a snake which he identified as a rinkhals. 2 Days later same snake was found in the road flattened by a car, identified as an egg eater.

As you say, the rain has increased the activity.

[Jbr]

******* hell... I'm setting up my zwift account again

[LazyTrailRider]

Here I am casually browsing, knowing that I'm heading to Tokai early tomorrow morning...

[Dirt Tracker]

2 hours ago, tubed said:

Lots of them moving around now, had two cobras in the garden in the last 2 weeks, thankfully the dog seems to have learned to call me by barking and keeping her distance.

I'm upgrading from using my old golf clubs to hook them - waiting for my hook and tongs to arrive from Tongs, Hooks and Bagging Systems - African Snakebite Institute 

100% the dogs were in their garden as well and we're in Constantia / Graylands so not exactly rural south. 

Thanks for the link, just ordered some nice long tongs for here and Breede. 👍

[NC_lurker]

18 minutes ago, LazyTrailRider said:

Here I am casually browsing, knowing that I'm heading to Tokai early tomorrow morning...

I'm guessing you've just set your alarm clock 2hrs earlier 😆

[marko35s]

54 minutes ago, LazyTrailRider said:

Here I am casually browsing, knowing that I'm heading to Tokai early tomorrow morning...

Just to add to the anxiety you can add two Puff Adders spotted on Snake Eyes a few days back, one on the big right hand corner and the other handily placed at exactly where you land if you do the rock drop near the exit.

Lot's of others spotted mostly on the trails above level three.

[Shebeen]

there was a cobra eating a puffy video in fish hoek doing the rounds recently too.

 

will keep eyes peeled more than normal

[PhilipV]

Julle wou mos die trails slang name gee… 

 

[LazyTrailRider]

2 hours ago, NC_lurker said:

I'm guessing you've just set your alarm clock 2hrs earlier 😆

Shhh....