Python swallows North West family's pit bull whole
Residents in the North West were left in shock when they discovered their family dog had been swallowed by a python.
"My worker heard our dog barking strangely and whimpering, so they went to investigate. And then they came across the snake that was in the process of swallowing our dog. It was terrible," tells Charlotte Molefe of Bethanie near Brits.
According to Kormorant, a 4.1m-long python had caught the family's dog, a pit bull mix, on Friday night and swallowed it whole.
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"It was a giant snake. We were so shocked. I called the police to come and help, and they gave me the number of the snake catcher."
Jac-Louis Horn from Critter Chronicles arrived shortly after midnight to assist on the farm. "When we caught the snake, it spat out the dog. She (the python) is 4.1m long and weighs 30kg."
Horn removed the snake to release it in a safe environment.
He had barely left the scene when he received a call from a neighbouring farm where he had just removed the python.
Another giant python had caught a buck on that farm. "This one wasn't as big, only 3.8m. He didn't have time to swallow the buck before we caught him."
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Horn released the two snakes in the Pilanesberg Reserve.
"We don't often come across such large pythons. These are incredible animals. The average South African python is about 3m long. The largest ever recorded was 5.5m in the late seventies. It's a privilege to see such giants."
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