Black mamba not deterred by snake repellent in Queensburgh
The snake is believed to have fed on a large house rat before it was caught by Nick Evans.
LOCAL snake expert, Nick Evans has called the bluff on snake repellent after he retrieved a black mamba from a compost heap in Queensburgh that was sprayed down with the bottled liquid.
The snake was first seen an hour before Evans was contacted, but it slithered away.
“The homeowner quickly went out to buy a commercial snake repellent, and sprayed it all over where he had seen the snake lying,” said Evans.
He reported the snake returned about an hour later and lay in the same spot that was sprayed with the repellent. Nick arrived shortly thereafter with his friend Nick Saunders and cameraman, Phil Gandy. The snake was draped over the compost heap and Evans noted that is had eaten something large earlier that day.
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“I was worried as we had to open a gate to get to it. In this time, the snake could disappear,” he said.
Evans opened the gate slowly and crept towards the snake. When he was within a few feet from the reptile, he reached for the tail with a pair of tongs and, as the snake did not move, he decided to then reach for its neck.
“As could be expected, it started thrashing and twisting around, but I soon managed to pin the head down!” said an elated Evans.
He believes the young black mamba ate a large house rat. Contact Nick Evans on 072 809 5806 or via email at nickevanskzn@gmail.com for snake removal.
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