Gqeberha’s “snake man” has his wheels back, and Mark Marshall could not be more appreciative of the way Nelson Mandela Bay residents banded together to help him pay for the repairs on his broken-down bakkie. Donations came in thick and fast as residents and businesses managed to pull together the R40,000 needed to buy a new engine for Marshall’s trusty Nissan NP200 bakkie, and to get everyone’s favourite animal handler back on the road, doing what he does best. “I was driving one day and heard a terrible knock under the hood, and the next thing I knew my wife was towing me home,” Marshall said. “It turns out the whole engine just blew.” For about a decade, the bakkie was his workhorse — transporting all manner of sick, injured and frightened animals to a safe place, where he could either release or care for them. When news started travelling about his vehicle's breakdown, the Bay community got on board with the fundraising campaign started by Derme Juric, whose child attends Marshall’s youth education programme, Sandula Kids. “To be honest, when I heard about the fundraising I was a little embarrassed,” Marshall said. “I never wanted to be the recipient of charity, but to see the way everyone came together was humbling and heart-warming, and I can’t thank everyone enough for helping.” He also thanked Natasha Swanepoel, George Skorbinski and their team at Nissan Eastern Cape for providing and fitting the engine. In the last month, he was left to drive a Hyundai Atos to his call-outs and said it became a challenge to fit six leopard tortoises in the boot, back seat and passenger seat of the car. Transporting a likkewaan in the tiny car was also no small feat. “Believe me, it’s much easier to fit snakes, tortoises, big lizards, and all manner of birds and critters in the back of a bakkie. “I am so grateful to have my van back,” Marshall said.