A BLACK Mamba was rescued from a property in River Drive, Carrington Heights on Saturday.
Nick Evans from KwaZulu-Natal Amphibian and Reptile Conservation said at first he thought this was a strange place for a mamba, as there was just thick bush between the homes and the M7, however he noticed a nearby canal and thought it could have been washed down during the floods the night before.
“The homeowner had just gotten out the bath, and went into her bedroom to change, when suddenly, she noticed a large black snake coming through the bedroom window! She moved back, and watched as it slithered through the room, down the passageway, and into the lounge, taking cover underneath a couch,” said Evans. The woman called her neighbour to phone a snake catcher.
“I asked to speak to the lady who saw it, to get exact details, and when I spoke to her I could hear she was shaken. What this does show, is that Black Mambas do not want to bite people, they want to get away. Hence the reason this one slithered past the frightened lady and went for cover,” he said.
ALSO READ: Nick Evans’ show Snake Season slithers onto TV
Evans arrived with camera operator, Tyrone Marcus, who is shooting the second season of Evans’ TV show Snake Season for the People’s Weather Channel.
He was told the snake was under the couch, and it was, curled up, probably recovering from the fright it got, he said.
“I didn’t want to lift or pull the couch towards me, because I saw the relatively small mamba had wrapped around the leg of the couch. I was trying to coax it out, but mambas are clever, and very alert. Whenever it did pop its head out, I’d look at it, and it would dash back under,” he said.
Evans said after some poking and prodding, it eventually shot out from under the couch, and went behind the TV stand.
“The snake was now terrified, as it thought us humans were trying to kill it. Tyrone was getting ready to jump on the couch if it shot in his direction. I went around the back of the Mamba, but it didn’t like that! It came charging back towards me, not in attack, but in desperation to get under the couch again! I stepped out of the way quickly, and grabbed it, quickly pinning it down,” he said.
Evans said it wasn’t a large Mamba, and was a beautiful specimen of about 2m long.
“Black Mambas are common in the Umbilo area as dense bush runs alongside it. Should you see a Black mamba, please do not try to kill or capture it. Rather call a professional in. If a Mamba is sighted, please call your dogs away and lock them inside until the snake is removed,” he said.
Contact Nick on 072 809 5806.
Do you want to receive news alerts via Telegram? Send us a message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 060 532 5535.
You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Berea Mail Telegram number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts
Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple
