WATCH: Fiery situation as black mamba found in braai in Durban

A homeowner in Durban was left astonished when he found a black mamba relaxing on his braai on Wednesday.

The unlikely encounter took both the venomous snake and the homeowner by surprise. The mamba then slid into the gas braai to flee from the man.

“Imagine he didn’t know it was in there? Gosh, he’d have gotten a much bigger fright!” joked snake rescuer Nick Evans after he was called to catch the mamba.

Evans said the snake probably thought the braai would be a safe shelter for it.

Evans added that snakes usually choose to flee before deciding to fight. He also commended the homeowner for calling for help, rather than trying to deal with the mamba himself.

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Evans said the homeowner at first wasn’t convinced that it was a black mamba nestled inside his braai.

“I opened the braai slowly and saw a bit of the body and knew instantly what it was!” he said.

Evans added that it was quick and easy to catch the 2m snake.

Mamba found in oven

It seems that black mambas are not afraid of extreme heat.

On Monday, Evans was called to a house in the Umkumbaan area of Durban after a man saw a black mamba slither into his home while he was watching TV with his child.

As the snake headed towards the kitchen, the man shouted at his wife to tell her to leave that area through the back door. He then also went outside with his child.

By the time Evans arrived, the snake had “curled up” behind the oven.

“While I was clearing things out the way to get to it, in this tight space, it actually went into the old oven. I got the tail out, and soon the head. The most difficult part was actually getting to it, but apart from that, it was straightforward,” said Evans.

Evans thinks the mamba was just looking for a place to hide.

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