Mozambican spitting cobra attacks dogs

Three dogs had to be treated for blindness after they were attacked by a Mozambican spitting cobra in Verulam on Wednesday.

The pet owners, who did not want to be named, said they had heard the dogs barking profusely and had gone out to see what was happening when they saw the snake leap forward and spray a substance at the three dogs that were standing together in the same spot.

“We didn’t get a chance to see much of what happened before that, but we saw the snake spraying the dogs and they were crying after that. We called Reaction Unit and they sent someone out who managed to find the snake that had slithered away into a remote part of the garden,” said the pet owner.

Reaction Unit South Africa’s Prem Balram said immediately after they received a call for assistance from the homeowner, their area manager, Nathi Ndaba, who is also a snake catcher, was despatched.

“Ndaba identified the snake as a highly venomous Mozambican spitting cobra. He captured the reptile and released it into a dense bush,” said Mr Balram.

He said the dogs were then taken to the veterinarian for medical treatment.