LOCAL snake catcher, Nick Evans, caught a 2.5 metre black mamba in the Inanda valley yesterday afternoon.
Evans, the founder of the KwaZulu-Natal Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, was called out by a family who said they saw the snake basking on a nearby stump while they were hanging up their washing.
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When he arrived at the site, the snake was no longer on top of the stump. The family said it may have slithered into one of the many nearby holes.
“I didn’t think I was going to be able to find it,” said Nick.
He searched in a few of the holes near to the stump but was unsuccessful in finding the large reptile. He cleared some of the bush surrounding the stump and noticed it was hollowed out. He flicked on his torch and peeked into the hole.
“I saw this massive coil and thought ‘oh my word this is a big snake!’ It was curled up inside and I was worried about escape routes, as there could have been many. I reached in with my tongs, grabbed it and pulled. There was a little bit of tug of war and I eventually got it out onto the slope and pinned down.
“I had to climb back up this slippery slope while carrying the gigantic mamba,” said Nick.
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He let it wrap around his arm, which he later admitted could have been dangerous for him should he have lost the grip of the snake’s head.
“Everyone was excited to see it and the family came through and shook my hand to thank me. They were quite happy with me releasing it, just not near them,” he laughed.
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