Don’t try and kill mambas – it’s dangerous, warns snake catcher
The warning comes after a black mamba was found with injuries under a pile of rubbish in Westville North.
HIGHWAY snake catcher, Nick Evans, has sent out a warning for people to stop trying to kill mambas as they can retaliate and strike.
This comes after he received a call from concerned residents about a large black mamba found by a rubbish pile in Westville North.
ALSO READ: Don’t pick up snakes, urges Highway’s Nick Evans
“The caller said that some workers that were busy taking some rubbish away found a large, thick, black snake. They also said that the mouth was black.
“I get that quite often – people describing a black mouth. Very rarely are they talking about a black mamba; it’s usually a species with a pinkish mouth. So I didn’t think much of it,” said Evans.
When he arrived, the snake was under some plastic bags, covered by vegetation. He could see the shape under the pile. He said he lifted out a plastic bag, and the mamba was underneath.
“I quickly got tongs on it, but soon realised something was wrong. As I went about restraining it, I could see the mamba had been wounded. The workers had been stabbing it with a steel pole.”
The devastated Evans said he has dealt with so many injured animals this week.
“Now I know why the workers saw the black mouth. If you attack a mamba, it will open up its mouth at you to intimidate you. It will definitely try to strike. Killing them is extremely dangerous,” warned Evans.
He took the snake to Ushaka Sea World where the South African Association for Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR) Veterinary and Dangerous Creatures teams could inspect it.
It was discovered that one section had a big dent in it, and the snake had multiple broken ribs.
“There were a few punctures on it too. One of the worst injuries was at the back of the jaw. Skin was ripped open, and muscles were showing. Unfortunately, we couldn’t really treat that wound for safety reasons. But all other wounds were cleaned out. It was very strong and lively, so hopefully it pulls through,” he said.
The snake catcher added that he explained to those workers the dangers of killing snakes, and to rather call in future.
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