Family Finds Venomous Snake in Christmas Tree

One family's Christmas festivities took a nightmarish turn when they discovered the tree they bought was also home to a venomous snake. Rob and Marcela Wild were in for a surprise when they found a boomslang one of South Africa's most venomous snakes in their Christmas tree, CNN reports. The couple, who lives

One family's Christmas festivities took a nightmarish turn when they discovered the tree they bought was also home to a venomous snake.

Rob and Marcela Wild were in for a surprise when they found a boomslang — one of South Africa's most venomous snakes — in their Christmas tree, CNN reports. The couple, who lives in the Western Cape, had to call in a professional to wrangle the animal safely.

"The cats were peering into the tree, and my wife said, 'There's probably a mouse in there somewhere,' " Rob told CNN. But he and Marcela soon found the mystery guest staying in their tree was much more deadly than a little rodent.

"I didn't know what it was at the time, but then I Googled what snakes are in our area, and it came up immediately as a boomslang," Rob told the outlet. "I thought, 'Holy Moses, this is the king of all poisonous snakes.' "

The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) describes the boomslang as a "shy" creature who "very seldom bites," but notes that the reptile "can deliver a lethal bite if threatened."

"Some people believe that if you walk past a bush or beneath a tree in which a boomslang is present, the snake will bite you in the face or drop onto your head to bite you," according to SANBI, but "in general snakes do not attack stationary objects and they never chase after humans."

The Wild family called in snake catcher Gerrie Heyns, CNN reports, to safely remove the snake from their home. Heyns told Rob and Marcela to keep their distance from the tree while they waited for him to arrive but urged them to "keep their eyes on the snake."

Heyns initially thought he was being pranked when he received photos of the snake in the tree, he told U.K. outlet The Mirror.

"I thought it was one of my fellow snake catchers trying to catch me out and closed down the photos after laughing, 'they won't be fooling me,' " he told The Mirror. "Then my mobile rang, and it was Rob who sent the photos and promised me they really did have a boomslang in their Christmas tree, and it was no joke."

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The snake remained in the tree for about two hours until Heyns arrived, according to CNN. To make it "easier to handle" the potentially dangerous reptile, Heyns brought in "snake tongs" to lower the creature onto the floor.

"Once I had it under control, the family came right up to see the snake," he told the outlet. "It didn't try to bite or be defensive because I gave it no reason to. A scary moment turned into an exciting moment for the children."

Heyns confirmed that the animal was, indeed, a boomslang, identifying the snake as a female measuring between 4.3 and 4.9 feet, per CNN.

After the Wild family got to see the snake safely for themselves, Heyns transported the animal in a special tube and later released it back into the wild.

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