THE mystery of Mkhuze’s diminishing domestic dog population in recent weeks has been solved.
The alleged culprit was a two metre-long black mamba found on a commercial farm on the outskirts of Mkhuze town.
Identified as the killer of the residents’ dogs, the reptile paid for its sins by execution.
A ‘nest’ of smaller snakes, identified by residents as juvenile black mambas was located on the same farm.
Some of these suffered the same fate as the adult. Residents say it’s not only black mambas that have been spotted in their gardens, but other venomous species as well, such as puff adders and Mozambican spitting cobras.
Six of the dogs thought to be killed by the mamba were Boerbulls living on neighbouring plots.
One resident’s cats, smaller dogs and sheep have all, at one time or another, come into contact with snakes of varying description, some of which have left some of the domestic animals blinded.
Roland Fivaz of Empangeni SPCA warns people against unnecessarily killing snakes.
‘In Zululand we do have a high population of snakes, but more people get bitten from trying to kill snakes than if they left them alone,’ said Fivaz.
He said wild animals’ first instinct is to flee from a perceived threat, but if the animal’s escape route is blocked, it is more likely to attack. This is also true of snakes.
Regarding the nest of juvenile snakes found in Mkhuze, Fivaz said it’s highly unlikely to have been a nest of juvenile black mambas, especially if the adult was found with them.
This is because female black mambas lay a clutch of eggs and leave them before the eggs hatch. Once a snake has hatched, its venom is strong enough to kill its own prey and it hunts and lives on its own.
READ: Get to know Zululand snakes
