THE South African Association for Marine Biology Research has given the 2.47 metre-long black mamba which had been rescued from the Durban beachfront earlier this week a clean bill of health.
The snake’s rescue went viral on social media after it was discovered on Addington Beach on Tuesday.
The SAAMBR Animal Health team said they did a full clinical examination on the black mamba after her initial brief examination showed she was stressed, but otherwise in good condition.
She was treated with antibiotics and left to stabilise before undergoing Friday’s examination.
“We collected blood for diagnostic purposes and did radiographs (x-rays) of her whole body. This is a standard approach as it would indicate if there were any reasons to be concerned. Thankfully, today’s blood results do not indicate that there is an infection present, and we were not able to detect any further abnormalities on the x-rays,” said Dr Francoid Lampen, SAAMBR veterinarian.
SAAMBR reported that her behaviour is normal and she will most likely be strong enough within a couple of days before being considered for release.
While she is in the care of SAAMBR staff, she is being kept in isolation, said SAAMBR, to ensure that she does not acquire any diseases that may pose a risk to the indigenous snakes once she is reintroduced into her natural home range.
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At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.
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