2.2m Black Mamba takes up residence at game reserve
The reptile was found to be riddled with ticks.
THE highly venomous Black Mamba was spotted in a thatch roof at a game reserve near St Lucia and Highway’s snake expert, Nick Evans, was called in to retrieve the deadly reptile.
Evans said the resident snake had taken up occupation of the thatched roof at the Centenary Centre and, because it would often be seen lying on a beam that many people walked under, made some staff uneasy.
“Mambas like roofs, because they’re generally quite safe and there’s food. Usually it’s rats, but I know at this location there were a lot of bats roosting in the thatch,” said Evans.
If the Black Mamba ever felt threatened, it would slither through a gap in an adjacent wall and into a ceiling of an office. It was in this location that Evans was able to catch the reptile.
ALSO READ: Black Mamba pair caught lounging in Inanda roof
“It wasn’t the most difficult mamba rescue I’ve experienced, but it wasn’t without challenges!” he said. “What was interesting is that it was riddled with ticks. I’ve only ever pulled off a few ticks off Durban mambas before. This snake had perhaps a dozen or so. Luckily, I had many hands to help me to pull them off.”
The female Black Mamba weighed in at 900g and Evans said she would need to fatten up before release.
“We decided to make the most of the trip, and a talk on snakes was arranged for field rangers, researchers and vets, all from different organisations, all working towards conserving our wildlife,” said an excited Evans.
* Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news
Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).
Do you want to receive alerts regarding this and other Highway community news via Telegram? Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409. 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 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.
