Jack Russell terrier dies saving pregnant owner from Cape Cobra

21 January 2016 - 15:56 By Jeanette Chabalala
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now
Cape cobra
Cape cobra
Image: Gallo Images/iStockphoto

A brave Jack Russell terrier died while protecting its pregnant owner and her two-year-old daughter from a Cape Cobra.

Six-year-old Jamal died shortly after he killed the snake on Tuesday afternoon, said owner Karen van der Berg.  

Van der Berg, 32, said she was swimming with her daughter at her home in Petrusburg, in the Free State. 

"I thought the dog was barking at a mouse, but then his face started changing. I noticed that he was barking at something serious," she said.  

She was shocked when she saw the 1.5m long snake.  

"While our dog was putting up a good fight, I immediately grabbed my daughter and ran to the house and called my husband, who arrived minutes later," she said.  

"Our dog was a hero," said Van der Berg.

"I am 37 weeks pregnant and I have a two-year-old daughter. I couldn’t have helped the dog. I did not want to be bitten by the snake; all I wanted was to be safe."

In a separate incident, a ventilator helped save the life of a Bull Terrier after he was bitten by a cobra which had made its way into his owner's garage in Cape Town.  

The plucky terrier attacked and killed the cobra as his owner got out of her car. Owner Tracey Jacobs told Cape Town radio station KFM that Dexter survived after spending three days in hospital.

On Wednesday, Dr Sam Pillay, one of the vets on duty at Tygerberg Animal Hospital, told News24 that Dexter was placed on a ventilator immediately. As a result of the snake venom, his lungs were shutting down and he could not breathe.

Source: News24

subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now