By Emilia Randall

Copyright dailyrecord

A man tragically took his own life by allowing his own serpents to bite him until he drowned and suffocated in his own blood in scenes “like a horror movie”. Authorities discovered Marius Joubert, 28, had been illegally importing exotic animals, and had around 60 of the creatures 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 occurred 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 property, suspecting him of illegal activities involving exotic animals, reports the Mirror . Realising the gravity of the situation, Joubert chose to unleash his own serpents on himself instead of facing a lengthy prison sentence. During the police visit to his property, officers were stunned to discover 60 snakes, along with other exotic creatures such as a crocodile, iguanas, monitors, tarantulas, hedgehogs, and ferrets. Joubert provoked his serpents into biting him, resulting in his death. Authorities later confirmed Joubert had deliberately exposed himself to the lethal venom of his snakes. Despite efforts to save him, including rushing him to hospital, the medical staff did not have the appropriate antivenom. An insider said: “[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 tragic incident has sparked investigations into the origins of the exotic animals and enquiries into Joubert’s clientele. Concerns have also been raised about the welfare of the creatures found at his property. The Bloemfontein Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) intervened to rescue the neglected animals. Many of the exotic creatures may have to be euthanised 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.” For mental health support, contact the Samaritans on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org or visit samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.