Handling the world’s most dangerous snakes – how does Sarel do it?
Staying focused is vitally important.
Undoubtedly, you have to be on top of your game to catch and handle a green or black mamba.
Sarel van der Merwe compared catching mambas to scoring a goal in soccer.
“You don’t look left and right, you just run towards the goalpost with an aim to score. When dealing with, especially mambas, you don’t have time to blink otherwise you will get bitten,” said Sarel.
He said staying focused is vitally important.
“You can’t get nervous, you have to be determined to catch it,” he said.
Sarel has some steps he follows when he catches mambas.
At first, he either slowly removes items from the cluttered area to search for the snake, or if he knows the snake is inside a room or house, he closes the door to prevent it from escaping.
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He always carries a headlamp and a set of grab sticks.
Sarel, said that while he appreciates people showing interest when he is busy catching a snake, he stressed that it is important for people to keep their distance from him.
“I often have cases where a group of people will be right behind me with their cellphones, trying to record or take photographs.”
Sarel added that he doesn’t think people realise how dangerous the snake is that he is handling, and he needs lots of space.
He stressed that it is vitally important for people watching him catch a snake, especially a black mamba, to keep quiet when he bags the deadly serpent.
Putting the snake in the bag is the most difficult part, and this is when snake catchers are most likely to be bitten.
One might think Sarel has a shot of whiskey before he embarks on his mamba catching missions.
But, this is far from the case – he actually doesn’t drink – and opts for a cup of coffee or two in the morning to get his day started. He also drinks lots of water!
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