National Geographic Wild’s “Snakes in the City” has maintained its status as a cherished favourite among audiences for years. The exhilarating show features herpetologists Simon Keys and Siouxsie Gillett, who respond to calls for assistance in capturing and releasing snakes from homes and buildings in and around Durban. Last season, the pair were joined by local snake wrangler Mbali Mtshali. The ninth season premiered across Africa on Sunday at 18:00 (CAT) from 3 September, and the team extended their abilities facing new snakes, in a new city, in eight new episodes.

The bustling, coastal metropolis of Durban was once a lush jungle, teeming with black mambas, spitting cobras, green mambas, huge pythons, night adders, bush snakes and boomslangs. It’s their territory and humans built a city right on top of it. Today, the jungle may be gone, but the snakes are here to stay! In the height of summer, the heat and humidity bring thousands of snakes out of hiding, into direct conflict with the 3.5 million inhabitants of this city. To the relief of those who call, Simon, Siouxsie, and Mbali, experts in animal behaviour, track down and capture some of the world’s most venomous snakes.