Stay clear of the deadly Black Mamba

I WAS recently called out to a property in Denham Place, Westville North. A woman spotted a large Black Mamba in her garden, and it was chasing some of her resident dassies (hyrax).

The mamba was cornered in the garden. I decided to approach as slowly and cautiously as I could, to not frighten the mamba. But these intelligent snakes are very alert, always on the lookout for danger. I had only taken a few small steps before it had noticed me, and I could see that it was getting ready to flee.

I immediately sprinted in its direction, determined to capture it. I got to it in the nick of time, and I managed to grab hold of its tail as it was going through a small wire fence, towards the sun deck.

It first tried to pull away, but when it realised that it couldn’t, it started coming back at me to defend itself. Fortunately, it wasn’t quite able to, and it couldn’t reach me through the fence, while I had the tail. Using my tongs in one hand, while holding the tail in my other hand, I pinned the head down, and quickly grabbed hold of it, securing the sharp end. I untangled the body, which had since wrapped around my arm, and then had the snake under control. “Woohoo!”

Fortunately for the snake, the last thing the homeowner wanted was for it to be killed at the hands of a human. She loved her dassies, one of which the mamba had devoured, but understood that that’s nature. It’s so nice to bump into people like that.

Data capture: With the help of some friends, the mamba was later measured at 2.7m, weighed at 3,05kg, and we inserted a small pit tag into it for ID purposes, prior to being released back to where it belongs.

Environmentally important: This call provided a nice example of the mamba’s role in nature. Black mambas do a good job in keeping Dassie numbers in check. Black Mambas are also great for controlling rat, bird and bat numbers too. They themselves are food for other animals, more so as youngsters, such as birds and monitor lizards. They help upkeep a healthy food chain.

Over-exaggerated reputation: This call also provided a classic example of how Black Mambas really behave when they see a human. They are commonly believed to be very dangerous and aggressive. Well, I ran straight at this big mamba. Did it charge at me in return? No. When it saw me, it panicked, and tried to flee. Mambas do not want conflict with humans.

Do not try to kill a mamba, and do not try to capture it. Their bite can well be deadly, but one can survive a mamba bite with urgent medical attention. Treat this unique, intelligent, powerful and awe-inspiring animal with the respect it deserves. For snake rescues and removals around the greater Durban area, contact Nick Evans on 072 809 5806. For educational work, you can email him atnickevanskzn@gmail.com.

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