What Was Herr Strauss’s Snake?

This refers to a report in 1942 of a huge flying snake in the Namibian Desert. Farmer, Hermias Strauss lived to the east of Keetmanshoop and reported to the local police an incident of a flying snake attacking a young boy tending sheep.

According to the boy, Michael Esterhuise, he had thrown a stone at the flying snake, which had 'growled' at him, displayed fins at the side of its head, and inflated its throat like a football. After this threat display, the boy took to his heels.

Two days later, when tending the same sheep, Esterhuise heard a strange noise "like wind blowing through a pipe". When he looked up, he saw the snake flying towards him, its body tightly coiled above its finned head.

Police and other investigators discovered the reptile had launched itself from a nearby hill and on the ground left tracks, some of which were ribbed as if made by scales. It was estimated that the snake was seven metres long. The animal has never been identified. It is not known whether there were ever any further sightings of the strange creature.

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The original source for the above came from a Namibia/Skeleton coast guide book. Unfortunately, I can't now recall with certainty which one except that it was a hard back printed in landscape format. I have a sneaky feeling it might have been an Automobile Association guide book but I can't be sure.

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