Durban snake catcher Nick Evans rescued three black mambas in the Pinetown area for the first time since December.
“I haven’t had three mambas in a day since December, so I was very chuffed!” exclaimed Evans.
Evans said he made the rescues on Tuesday after his phone would not stop ringing.
“Interestingly, all were in pretty strange places, away from nature reserves. Was it because of the floods? Perhaps, I'm not sure,” 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.
He said a neighbour had seen it on the road.
“The homeowner’s son came out when called, and saw it going into the garage. The garage was full, full, full. Thanks, the young man who saw it go in the garage, was very helpful, and we made short work of it all,” Evans said.
“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.”
Evans said the second mamba was in a bizarre place, an industrial property next to the M13, as one starts heading up Fields Hill.
He said he thought it caught a lift in a car.
The snake was in an extremely difficult spot, between two shipping containers, placed on top of each other. “I had to get it on the first attempt, otherwise, it would go deeper in,” Evans said.
“While on a ladder, which no one was keen to hold for me, I managed to hook the tail out with my mini hook. While holding onto it with my hand, the head-end appeared to my left, among some stacked wood. The crowd started screaming!
“I managed to grab the head with the tongs, then my hand. However, as they often do, the mamba wrapped its tail firmly around a piece of wood,” Evans said.
“I asked one of the bystanders closest to me to untangle the tail for me. He refused. Someone else offered, thankfully, and I soon had it out. A 2.4m female, ‘in the blue’ (about to shed).”
Evans said the third mamba was the most hectic. It was in the Ashley area, also away 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.
“I walked up to it, shining through the security gate. I couldn’t see it, but there were some places for it to hide. For some reason, I stepped back, and out of the corner of my eye, spotted the mamba’s body right near my head, between the roof and the wall,” Evans said.
“Needless to say, I got a big fright!
“The mamba went down into the room and under some rotting chipboard. It was a furious, energetic snake, not happy about being harassed, and made life extremely difficult! In all honesty, I felt rather scared, being in a confined space with it, without having the head secured. When I did pin it down, I was so, so relieved!” Evans said.
Daily News