Huge venomous black mamba captured at KZN home

A 1.8-metre venomous black mamba has been captured at a property in KwaZulu-Natal.

The snake was captured on a property on Fairview Drive in Brindhaven, KZN on Tuesday.

A local resident contacted Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) to remove the reptile from their yard.

“At approximately 9:36 am a resident requested assistance after they discovered the highly venomous snake on a tree in their yard. Reaction officers were immediately dispatched. On arrival, officers discovered the snake wrapped around a tree branch.

“Rusa member Nathi Ndaba cautiously captured the reptile with specialised snake tongs and removed it from the property,” the security company said.

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More snakes

Earlier this year, snake rescuer Nick Evans caught at least five black mambas – four of them on the same day.

The first snake was caught at an informal settlement in Welbedacht.  The black mamba was discovered while the family was cleaning the room and decided to lift the mattress.

“There were wooden beams placed between the mattress and the base, for extra support. This created a space between the two, big enough for rats to get in, and in turn, a black mamba,” he said.

A few days later, Evans responded to four black mamba calls around Westville North.

The first mamba had entered an open kitchen window and was spotted by one of the dogs at the property, which alerted its family. The 2.2-metre male mamba was caught behind a dishwasher.

The second mamba, in a different property, was also caught in the kitchen behind a fridge, “and did not make for an easy catch like the first mamba”.

It was eventually pulled from behind the fridge and placed in a bucket.

The third mamba was caught on a garage roof between roof tiles and was removed through one of the holes in the plastic.

The fourth mamba, however, managed to slip away.

Black mambas

According to the City of Ekurhuleni, snakes come out of hibernation in search of food during this period of the year until May after a long period of hibernation.

The city cautioned pet owners to be on high alert and to watch their pets as they may fall prey to the snakes.

According to National Geographic, black mambas are actually brown in colour. They get their name from the blue-black of the inside of their mouths, which they display when threatened.

Additional reporting by: Vhahangwele Nemakonde

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