CAPE TIMES (Cape Town, S Africa) 18 August 08 Slippery traffic-stoppers (Sindile Maluleka)

Two slithery, beautifully patterned African pythons, named Tiny and Naughty, have become a must-see attraction in Durban.

The unusual "car guards" drape themselves around the steering wheel or dashboard of their owner's car while he slips away into the building in the CBD from which he runs his popular traditional healing business. The businessman is known as "3-cent Ohlangene".

His business appears to be doing exceptionally well, considering it is an Audi TT convertible that he parks across the road from his consulting rooms. One thing is guaranteed, this car will not be hijacked.

No amount of incentive would persuade a potential thief to tackle the powerful reptiles, which are capable of crushing their prey to death.

As Tiny and Naughty slither up and down the dashboard, few people venture near the car. Only those with nerves of steel press their faces to the window, while others stand at a safe distance, taking pictures with their cellphones.

"Tiny and Naughty are harmless because they represent my ancestral spirit, who was a traditional healer. If you do try breaking into my car, you will not live to tell the tale," said 3-cent Ohlangene.

However, Caroline Smith, spokesperson for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), said that exotic animals should not be kept as pets (or used for spiritual purposes) because they are far too dangerous.

She believes that there is a lot of ignorance on how wild animals should be treated and their means of survival.

Gavin Carpenter, a professional snake handler, said that a snake can not be called a pet in the conventional sense. "Snakes are not like cats and dogs, therefore they need special attention."

He said that more people were beginning to keep snakes as pets and the most popular varieties were corn snakes, king snakes, pythons and boa constrictors.

Maureen Zimu, of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, said she did not advocate keeping African pythons in captivity because they are an endangered species.

She recommended that owners of these rare snakes keep them in an enclosure with a constant temperature of between 25 and 30C, and provide them with lots of water.

"The African python can grow up to five metres in length so it should be given space that is equivalent to the average room, allowing it to move freely," she said.
Slippery traffic-stoppers

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• ZAF Press: Slippery traffic-stoppers - W von Papineäu, Wed Sep 10 19:08:44 2008