WARNING, GRAPHIC CONTENT: The man’s horrific death would have shut down is body in an excruciating way over several hours, with the hospital unable to give him the correct antivenom
A man tragically ended his life by allowing his own snakes to bite him until he drowned and suffocated in his own blood in scenes “like a horror movie”.
Authorities found Marius Joubert, 28, had been illegally importing exotic animals, and had around 60 of the beasts in his home, when police arrived last year. A source close to the investigation said: “The venom is both a neurotoxin and a cytotoxin which means it shut down his lungs and suffocated him and also caused severe bleeding and destroyed his body tissues. ‌
“It was an extremely painful and horrific way to end his life and it took about 9 hours from the bite to collapse and another 3 hours for the snake’s venom to kill him.”
The security guard suffered the gruesome death following his arrest in South Africa. The tragic incident took place in Hennenman, a town around 100 miles north of the city of Bloemfontein.
Joubert was under investigation for burglary and theft. The alarm was raised when police planned to search his home, suspecting him of illegal activities involving exotic animals. Realising the severity of the situation, Joubert chose to unleash his own snakes on himself instead of facing a lengthy prison sentence.
During the police visit to his home, officers were shocked to discover 60 snakes, along with other exotic creatures such as a crocodile, iguanas, monitors, tarantulas, hedgehogs, and ferrets. Joubert provoked his snakes into biting him, resulting in his death.
Authorities later confirmed Joubert intentionally exposed himself to the deadly venom of his snakes. Despite attempts to save him, including being rushed to hospital, the healthcare workers did not have the correct antivenom.
The source added: “[Joubert] knew the offences he would be charged with would be much more serious and that many of the snakes and animals he had could put him behind bars for 25 years. ‌He asked if he could feed his snakes and once the cuffs were off he stuck his hands in two cages and was bitten by two snakes in the wrist area and then was restrained.
“We know one of the snakes that bit him was an Indochinese Spitting Cobra which would have put a s****load of venom in him but we don’t know what the other snake was. ‌[…]
“He was about to be released on a warning until his court date then he started to appear very unwell. ‌Then he collapsed […] but as the spitting cobra is not native to South Africa there was no anti-venom. ‌”.
The tragedy has prompted investigations into where the exotic animals came from and enquiries into Joubert’s customers.
Questions have also been raised about the wellbeing of the creatures discovered at his property. The Bloemfontein Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) stepped in to rescue the neglected animals.
Many of the exotic creatures may have to be put down due to the circumstances surrounding Joubert’s actions, with an investigation into the case still ongoing.
Chief Inspector Reinet Meyer described the horrifying scenes: “The scenes inside the house were like a horror movie with over 70 wild animals all severely neglected. ‌The animals were all removed by the SPCA to the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital by two snake catchers and are undergoing examination and treatment. ‌”.
“We hope in time to heal as many of the indigenous species as possible and return them to their natural habitat but sadly the foreign exotic animals will have to be euthanised.
” It is not our policy to house animals in zoos or in captivity but only in the wild. ‌A number of the animals and reptiles had tragically already succumbed to starvation and dehydration and were very neglected and in poor health and will need lots of care.”
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