IN a thrilling rescue mission that required both skill and quick thinking, The Bluff-based snake catcher, Warren Dick, recently caught and released a 1.9m green mamba on The Bluff.

Also read: Green Mamba captured after hiding for almost two months

The dramatic visitation occurred after Dick was called in by his fellow reptile lover, Dean Boshoff just before 15:00 on March 7. According to Boshoff, one of his friends had seen a huge green mamba on a house wall at their home. The home owner had recently fumigated the house, which raised concerns for the snake’s health. Dick and Boshoff said they rushed to the scene.

Dick said when he got to the home they were led to the duplex stairway where the snake rested on a partition between the staircase and the bathroom.

“On first glance of the colour of the snake, it looked dead. It was not the normal vivid green that I know green mambas to be, but I blew some air onto it, and it flinched a bit. Parts of the snake could be seen from either side, but the head was not easily visible or reachable,” said Dick.

Dick attempted to coax the snake into a nearby burglar-barred window. But the mamba had other plans. The moment it was handled, it jumped off the wall and directly into the open toilet bowl, managing to evade Dick’s clutches by seconds. The snake vanished down the plumbing, with only its tail visible.

“This left me with no choice but to grab its tail with my hand and begin a game of tug-of-war. What made it trickier was the fact that the snake was shedding so the skin was just coming off in my hands. I hung on as best I could. I only had about half a metre of the snake. The rest was down the toilet and try as I might, I just couldn’t pull the snake out. If I let go, the snake would probably end up down in the sewer and surely die, so now I was trying to save its life in more ways than one,” said Dick.

Also read: A guide to the snakes of Durban

The home owner proposed looking under the stairs, where they found a one-way vent in the plumbing of the toilet. Boshoff got into the job of holding the tail of the snake while Dick worked on the vent. Looking into the vent with a flashlight, he spotted the snake suspended deep in the pipe. The small opening made it impossible to use regular snake tongs, so Dick had to use his snake hook.

With careful manoeuvring, he drew the head of the snake out of the pipe, finally able to pin it down and grasp it. After a brief struggle with his hold, Dick subdued the mamba safely, ending a thrilling rescue.

After ensuring the snake was not harmed, it was relocated safely and released back into its natural habitat. “I am grateful as always to the caller for seeking help for the animal’s well-being and, of course, to Boshoff. I would have lost the snake if it were not for Boshoff’s help,” said Dick.

For assistance or to have some of your interesting spiders, snakes or other wildlife identified, call or WhatsApp Warren Dick on 072 211 0353. You can also follow him on Warren’s Small World on Facebook.

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