HIGHWAY snake catcher Nick Evans is in disbelief that a Black Mamba, which had an opportunity to bite him, chose not to.

Evans was looking for the snake, which had moved down the reserve before he arrived.

According to the snake catcher, this resident Black Mamba had been hanging around at a home in Westville for a while, hunting for dassies.

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Evans had tried a few times to catch it, but he’d had mostly futile attempts.

While he peered over the ledge, scanning the bush below, the unexpected happened: Right next to Evans’ foot was the mamba, slowly slithering past his foot in the grass, which was above ankle height.

The shocked snake catcher jumped back in disbelief.

“Our eyes locked, and the mamba knew it was time to flee. It tried getting back to the reserve, but I grabbed it with the tongs, a quarter of the way down from the head.”

“It was a grumpy snake! Rather than reversing, it tried coming forward, towards my hand. I held on a little tighter than normal, before finally, it decided to reverse, and I grabbed it.

“Once it was in my hands, I was checking my legs for punctures. I’ve heard of people, usually handlers, getting bitten by these snakes and not feeling it. Their fangs are small. But I was fine. Just very shaken up,” he said.

The mamba was digesting a meal when it was caught.

“I didn’t have a great grip, probably because of the fright I got, so I had to correct it before putting it in the bucket,” he said.

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