A YOUNG woman has become an internet sensation after she was filmed removing a snake from a walkway.
In the clip, which has been viewed more than 14 million times, the woman is walking past what appears to be a city caretaker who, armed with a broom and dustpan, is struggling to pick up the snake.
The woman simply bends down, grabs the snake and walks past a patch of flowers and towards a lake where she puts the snake down.
Totally unfazed, she walks back and shows a double thumbs up to the small crowd cheering her bravery.
The video, shared by @memelif3 and captioned, “She’s the main character”, has had people amazed by the woman’s courage.
aznpanda510: This dude is working by the hour and she speed it up… Now this dude really has to work.
jduds_wrld: Tell me love at first sight isn’t true
hahnoalmano: If you marry her she will most definitely take care of the spiders in the corner of your room
chiamakabrowneyes: Eve is that you?
However, Durban snake catcher, Nick Evans, has warned people against picking up snakes.
He said most snake bites he sees in Durban are from people who have picked up snakes and in most cases, they are venomous stiletto snakes due to its inoffensive appearance.
He said night adders are another species people occasionally pick up, although this year someone picked up a juvenile green mamba, thinking it was a bush snake.
"If you see a snake and think it's harmless, please do not pick it up. If you think the snake is venomous and think you'll be safe restraining it behind the head, do not do that. It sounds obvious, but a year or two ago we had a guy try catch a 2.5m black mamba. I went to visit him in hospital," Evans said.
He said killing a snake isn't safer either.
"I've heard of people being bitten while killing snakes or injuring themselves in the process of killing a snake.
“One can take a photo from a distance, if possible, and send it to a snake catcher for identification and the snake catcher will advise the best course of action.
“Otherwise just step away slowly from the snake and either let it slither off or call a snake catcher," he said.
IOL