Short stay at school for scholarly serpent
The snake was spotted nestled between the bricks of a wall, up near the classroom's ceiling.
AS thousands of pupils flocked back to schools across the country on Wednesday last week, this was not the case at Olwasini Junior Primary in Amahlongwa.
The reason? The school’s newest ‘pupil’ – a two metre long black mamba which had settled in to one of the classrooms.
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The snake was spotted nestled between the bricks of a wall, up near the classroom’s ceiling.
Crocworld Conservation Centre and the police were called to remove the snake.
This however proved to be a challenge due to the position of the hiding place, and it took the team three days to remove it.
“The mamba could be seen in the wall, but we couldn’t find the hole it was getting in through,” said Crocworld Conservation Centre manager, Martin Rodrigues.
In order to safely remove the snake, part of the wall had to be broken.
“I’ve never experienced this and it was a huge crisis for the school,” school principal, Mpume Mvubu.
“This is a fast and very dangerous snake and I thank Crocworld for the help.”
“It’s important to remember that snake captures are done by professionals,” said Mr Rodrigues.
“You need to know what you’re doing, use the right equipment and understand the behaviour of the animal – especially with a snake like a black mamba.”
He added that trying to remove a snake without professional assistance or attempting to kill it could put a person at risk of being bitten.
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