Green mamba claims lives of two dogs
Two of a local animal lover's dogs died after a run-in with a juvenile green mamba, which has taken a toll on her emotionally.
AN AMANZIMTOTI pet owner’s world shattered when two of her beloved rescue dogs, Lewis and Zen, died after succumbing to the venom of a juvenile green mamba on March 12.
Also read: Green mamba rescued from car’s engine compartment [Video]
At around 09:00, Niki Kenton, went to set out food for wild birds in her garden. She said she saw Zen, her border collie, rear back.
“I initially thought it could have been a land crab. As I turned to walk away, I looked in my swimming pool and saw a green snake and thought that must have been what caused it. I’m not a professional snake catcher, but have kept snakes before and know the different types of snakes. I took a stick and lifted the snake out and knew straight away when I looked at it from the shape of its head and its scales that it was a juvenile green mamba. I chased the dogs away and flicked the snake into the bushes. When I opened the gate, I could not find Lewis, a fox terrier corgi cross,” said Kenton.
She eventually found the pooch near his bed. Lying close by was a dead snake. “I think it is the same snake that I saved from the pool and I think Lewis killed it,” said Kenton.
“The snake had bite marks in its head. I heard Lewis vomiting after he ran inside the house. He was shaking severely and I knew that he had been bitten. I immediately took him to a nearby vet. They took him straight to theatre, and gave him oxygen, but by then, the respiratory paralysis had already set in. This means the lungs were not working and he was drowning in body fluid. The vet said he was suffering and we decided to leave him there. It was traumatic because he was barely alive. Just an hour before, he was running around and playing,” said the teary-eyed owner.
By the time she got back home, Zen was displaying similar symptoms. After rushing Zen to the vet, who confirmed the lungs were still functioning, the vet managed to find two vials of antivenom in Westville, despite the national shortage.
“He told me to go home. He said there was nothing more I could do. Despite the antivenom, my babies were struggling too much and did not survive this ordeal. Within a day, I lost both my dogs.”
She explained that mamba hatchlings are born with deadly venom. A recent article about green mambas by the SUN explained that it is likely an outbreak caused by the recent flooding, which might have displaced green mamba nests near their habitat.
Kenton has been left distraught without her beloved pets. She urged locals to remain vigilant, especially those with little children and dogs, as a green mamba bite is fatal unless one gets to a hospital or a vet within half an hour.
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