A man (30) was bitten on the finger by a black mamba on a farm in KZN yesterday.

Glen Preston of Med-Evac said the man was bitten on his ring finger, on his left hand, by a black mamba while working on a cane farm inland near Hibberdene, and is currently in ICU.

“Paramedics transported the man in a stable condition to Shelly Beach Hospital where he was treated with anti-venom,” said Preston.

According to Wikipedia, the bite of a black mamba can cause collapse in humans within 45 minutes. Without appropriate antivenom treatment, symptoms typically progress to respiratory failure, which leads to cardiovascular collapse and death. This typically occurs in seven to 15 hours.