Durban – A grumpy black mamba interrupted a man while he was shaving his head, slithering behind him.
Snake catcher Nick Evans said the man from Umkhumbane was sitting in his living room, shaving his head, when he heard some movement behind him. He looked towards the door and in came a black mamba.
“It turned around the open door and hid there until my wife and I arrived,” Evans said.
“All of the mambas I've caught in the past week have been extra grumpy, more so than the average mamba. Maybe they're also tired of the floods and the aftermath of the disaster.”
“It gaped at me, exposing the black mouth before I grabbed it with the tongs. As I tried restraining it, it resisted like crazy! Powerful animal,” Evans said.
He said he soon saw why the mamba was annoyed. Someone had hit it in two places on its tail, but the injuries did not look serious..
“Killing a mamba is extremely dangerous. I explained this to those present.”
“Turned out to be a good educational moment. Some even touched the tail!”
Evans said he was grateful the family called him.
“I understand why people kill snakes, hence I try to educate. But yes, please know, trying to kill any snake increases your chances of being bitten.”
Evans added that snakes did not want to bite anyone, therefore people should not give them a reason to do so.
Last week, Evans rescued three black mambas in Pinetown.
“I haven’t had three mambas in a day since December, so I was very chuffed!” he said.
“Also, all three were from Pinetown, well-fed, and grumpy, perhaps more so than most!”
Evans said the first mamba was in Farningham Ridge, quite far from the valley that separates it from Nazareth.
“We eventually found it right at the back of the garage – typical! A feisty mamba, which took a little while to catch. About 2.1m.”
The second mamba was in a bizarre place, an industrial property next to the M13, as one starts heading up Fields Hill.
Evans had to climb a ladder to reach the snake.
The third mamba was the most difficult to rescue. It was in Ashley, also far from a valley or reserve.
He said the snake was seen basking on a wall, then it came down into the property, into a storeroom and under some rotting chipboard.
Daily News