WATCH | Snake catcher rescues metre-long puff adder at Durban steel factory

• Veteran snake handler Nick Evans rescued a puff adder at a factory in Cato Ridge in September.
• He filmed the snake's unique "caterpillar-like" movements.
• Evans said puff adders are one of his favourite snakes to rescue because of their interesting characteristics.

Employees at a steel factory in Cato Ridge, KwaZulu-Natal, had their workday interrupted after a metre-long puff adder appeared at the premises in September.

Shocked and afraid, they called veteran snake catcher Nick Evans for help. 

When Evans arrived, he found the slithery creature curled up behind a dustbin.  

"About a year ago, they called me out to the same factory at about 02:00 to rescue a python," Evans told News24. 

The factory is surrounded by bushveld, which is why they are often visited by snakes.

The puff adder is one of Evans' favourite snakes to rescue because of their shorter and stouter bodies.

Their petite size makes catching them much easier.

"You get some really beautiful ones, especially in the interior parts of KZN. I don't know what it is about them, I just think they're really cool," he said.

A puff adder behind a dustbin in a factory in Cato Ridge, KZN, before being rescued by snake handler Nick Evans in September.

Evans said he also found a puff adder fascinating because they give birth to live young, are able to strike fast, and have unusually big heads.

In the video filmed by Evans, the reptile makes "caterpillar-like" movements, which he said was a unique style of locomotion compared to other serpents.

"When they feel threatened though, they will move with the normal serpentine movement," he added.

According to Evans, their mating season is late summer and they are active throughout most of the year.