Black mamba bites off more than it can chew in Westville
The last time Nick Evans saw a wild black mamba eat its prey was last year when one of the reptiles caught a feral kitten.
NICK Evans, a local snake catcher, was called to a Dawncliffe property to rescue a black mamba.
Upon arrival, the deadly reptile had already caught itself a feathered snack.
The home owners were alerted to the snake’s presence by the birds ‘going crazy’ in their garden.
The black mamba was spotted in the canopy of the trees.
A bird was seen drop to the ground and, when the commotion died down and the mamba was out of sight, the homeowner went to investigate and found a dead dark-backed weaver.
“I said the mamba would most likely come for it, so they waited and watched. Minutes later, they spotted the mamba coming down the tree,” said Evans.
The Dawncliffe residents have four dogs and, with a mamba in their yard, Evans was called in to ensure the safety of the pooches and the snake.
“When I arrived at their home, the mamba had just got its mouth over the bird’s head. It was slowly trying to get its jaws over the folded wings, and it was pulling the bird along through the thick vegetation. We stood there, observing, and taking pics,” said Evans.
It has been more than a year since Nick said he saw a wild mamba eat, which was in Newlands when he saw one eating a feral kitten.
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The black mamba is about 1.2m long.
He noted that snakes are able to swallow food that is much larger than their heads by stretching, not dislocating, their jaws.
“This mamba was struggling to get over the folded wings. We watched for about 20 minutes as it made absolutely no progress. Our presence disturbed it, and I grabbed it before it got away, and put it in the bucket with my tongs. I tried to be as quick as possible. I put the bird in with it, hoping it would eat it at a later stage. Unfortunately, it didn’t,” said Evans.
He said the snake would be released where there is plenty of food.
The black mamba catch will also contribute towards research, as its weight, length, and DNA was collected and it will be microchipped.
For snake removals, contact Nick Evans on 072 809 5806.
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