A 2.8 metre black mamba was captured just north of Scottburgh’s main beach on Thursday this week, in front of the Cutty Sark Hotel. A teenager who was jogging on the shore of the popular beach spotted the snake and alerted Crocworld Conservation Centre’s Manager Martin Rodrigues.
Owen and Nadi Kuyper, who were going for a swim at the time of rescue managed to capture footage of the rare incident on their cellphone.
“Snakes are in our vicinity most of the time but human encounters with snakes are few and far between,” said Rodrigues. “It is important not to panic if you encounter a snake. Be vigilant and observant of your surroundings,” he advised.
According to Rodrigues, it was the first time that he has seen a Black Mamba captured on a beach.
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Rodrigues said that it was possible that due to the extremely hot weather, the snake was cooling down on the shore or having a drink of salty water. It may have been tired or caught up in the waves.
“When I tried to catch the snake, I noticed a lot of water coming out of its mouth so it may have swallowed quite a bit of sea water,” added Rodrigues.
Once the snake was safely captured, it was taken back to Crocworld Conservation Centre, where it was measured, examined and released back into a safe habitat.
Read also: Free snake chart to help residents with information
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