Queensburgh dog survives black mamba bite
The dog was rushed to a nearby vet and was given vials of anti-venom.
WHILE filming the second season of Snake Season, Nick Evans was called to retrieve a mamba from a Queensburgh home.
According to the local snake expert, the homeowners’ two dogs spotted the highly venomous snake in the garden and went for it to ‘defend their turf’ and their owners.
“The snake fled, and found its nearest cover: the dog’s kennel, which was on the other side of a gate. When we arrived, we found that the clever and brave homeowner put boards up against the kennel in an attempt to trap it. The problem was, the gate was right next to the kennel and the dogs were up against it. There was no other gate one could use to get to them,” said Evans.
The dogs were called away so Evans could move away the boards without fear of the dogs being near.
The mamba was curled up in a corner and Evans described it as calm.
The snake moved slowly and, as Evans reached for it with his tongs, it lunged.
“Luckily, I just clamped the tongs down, stopping the mamba before it got to my hand,” said Evans.
With the small amount of control he had over the 2m snake, Evans was able to drag the mamba away from the gate.
He pinned the mamba down and noticed the end of its tail was bloodied from a scratch. The black mamba was placed in a bucket.
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“It vomited again and was scratching its face. It was definitely bitten and needed medical attention,” said Evans.
The dog was rushed to a nearby veterinary practice and was given two vials of anti-venom and the dog was stable.
“She received a further two vials and she’s apparently looking really good!” said a relieved Evans. “Snake/dog conflict is horrible. These clashes often end up with a dead dog or two, and a dead snake. But in this case, both animals survived.”
For any snakebite incidents in the greater Durban area, contact Nick Evans via WhatsApp or phone call on 072 809 5806 or email nickevanskzn@gmail.com.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
