In between the rain and the sunshine, snake catcher Sarel van der Merwe has been a busy man of late.
In the last month, Sarel has travelled miles to rescue the most deadly of snakes – the black mamba.
The black mamba is one of Africa’s most feared and respected snakes. A human can collapse within 45 minutes of a black mamba bite.
Not too long ago Sarel received a phone call to help catch a black mamba at a home inland of Umzumbe, which is a long drive from his home in Shelly Beach.
“I managed to catch the snake between the roof and rafters. As I got to him, he forced the middle of his body into a retaining block, and I couldn’t get him out of that position until the homeowner lifted the roof sheet for me to get him out,” said Sarel.
In a separate incident, Sarel received a phone call to assist a family in Nhlangwini, Harding late one afternoon.
“I told them that it’s late and I can only help them the next day. The family slept at a neighbour’s house, and I travelled there the next day,” he said.
It was a long trip for Sarel; however, once he was there, he combed the house thoroughly.
“I went through the house, and in the last bedroom, I found the black mamba behind a bedside table. I was lucky to spot him as only the tip of his tail was showing under the bedside table,” he said.
Earlier this month, Sarel travelled to a cement factory in Oribi Gorge where a black mamba had squeezed himself into a rat/mice bait station.
“I had to tickle the mamba’s tummy to get him out of the bait station,” he said, laughing.
In between all of these adventures, Sarel has also caught a few green mambas in Shelly Beach, Marburg and in Umzumbe.
Be sure to keep Sarel’s number on speed dial 082 6831604.
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