Warren Dick received a phone call from Prasa (Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa) on Thursday, 13 August.
Two Prasa employees went to work on a control box near the Montclair train station. As they opened the box they saw a black snake. They closed the box immediately and left. By their description it sounded like a black mamba.
There has never been a black mamba in Montclair before, therefore Warren was convinced it was probably a herald snake or a big brown house snake. He made his way to the box where they were working. The double door was unlocked, he opened it and to his amazement, there was a black mamba on top of the DB board.
Worried that the snake may bolt if he tried to grab it, he closed the doors and phoned his friend, Nick Evans, for assistance. Nick has much more experience in dealing with black mambas. Warren went back to check on the snake, but it was disturbed and moved. Warren thought if he closed the door there was a good chance the snake would disappear before Nick arrived, so he waited until the snake’s head was in a good enough position to grab it with his tongs. He was able to get his hand behind its head to pin it down and put it in a bucket.
At this point Warren noticed the snake had a fresh wound about three quarters down its body possibly from coming into contact with high voltage cables and it was lethargic for a black mamba. Warren still needed Nick’s assistance to get the snake veterinary assistance. The snake was taken to Ushaka’s Dangerous Creatures to be treated by their veterinary team.
It had x-rays done which showed no broken bones. They administered fluids and treated the wound over the next few days to make sure no infections set in. The snake will be released once treatment is done.
There is no need to think there is a population of black mambas in Montclair as this was the first black mamba captured in the area.
For the safe relocation of snakes in the Durban South area, contact Warren on 072-211-0353.
