The search for the escaped snake in Tilburg is still ongoing. The owner tries to catch the poisonous green mamba with traps. “It is a difficult time for me,” he told Omroep Brabant on Wednesday morning.
“It is very cold outside, especially for a tropical animal. The snake can therefore never be far away,” thinks the owner. He has been overwhelmed by the media attention and wants to remain anonymous. “We set several traps to catch the animal as quickly as possible.”
“I was able to sleep. We’re just going to catch him,” he says matter-of-factly, in English. Soon he wants to end the conversation again. What should this mean for the neighbors? “I don’t talk to that.”
The police received a report on Monday evening around 9 p.m. from the resident of a house on Goudenregenstraat, near the station. He said he missed a snake with a length of almost two meters. The man has moved his other animals to another location.
‘Crazy that this is allowed’
“It gives a very unpleasant feeling,” says local resident René van Bijsterveldt. “It is very strange that you can keep such a poisonous snake as a pet. It caused a lot of consternation and a search in the street. It is national news,” he says.
The immediate neighbor of the house where the battle occurred is not very concerned. “If that snake is outside, it has been dead for a long time due to the cold,” says Gert-Jan Broers. “I think he’s just under his own floor.”
Do not catch yourself
People in the area should pay extra attention and not come near the snake. The municipality of Tilburg and the police said this earlier in an appeal. People who do encounter the snake are advised to keep their distance, call 911 immediately and not catch the snake themselves.
The search is conducted both inside and outside the house. The municipality called in experts to see how the snake can be found as quickly as possible. A sniffer dog was deployed on Tuesday. A bite is extremely poisonous. If you are bitten by such a snake, you will need medical attention.
Watch a message from Freek Vonk below: