The thrill of rescuing a pregnant black mamba in Durban
Durban snake rescuer Nick Evans and veterinarian Dr Carla Goede returned to a rural area near KwaNdengezi, west of Pinetown, to capture a female black mamba they ‘left behind’.
In winter, they tried catching a pair of resident black mambas on a cliff edge below some homes in the area. They managed to get the male but not the female, until recently.
Evans said his friend Duncan Slabbert, a fellow snake rescuer, tried catching the female a few times but by the time one would climb down to grab the basking snake, it would shoot off, ducking down into its little cave, where it was inaccessible and safe.
Evans said recently a woman who used to call him for mambas called. This time, she said the snake was out and she also had a picture.
He said he did not ask if they had seen the mamba regularly or not.
Evans and Goede rushed there.
“We peered over the cliff edge and saw the mamba basking, worryingly close to its hideout. It was lying over the burnt mattresses etc. which were thrown down and burnt to chase the snake away. That didn’t work,” Evans described.
He told Goede he was “going to rush at it”. He planned to catch the mamba off guard and grab it before it got into its hideout.
“Despite the treacherous terrain, it worked!” Evans exclaimed.
“I got the 1.5m African Snakebite Institute (ASI) tongs on the tail end, and called for Carla to quickly hand me a 1.1m ASI tong, which I then used to grab the mid-body. It was a powerful and visibly gravid (pregnant) snake to hang onto,” Evans explained.
“The front half had got around a branch, using that for leverage to try to pull out of my grip. Fortunately, Carla got a hold of its neck with the tongs and lifted it up onto a rock where she could pin the head down. I worked the tongs along the body, getting it around the branch, and held the tail back from her, as she secured the head.”
Evans further explained that climbing up to get the snake into the bucket was the next challenge. He said it was not easy but they managed.
“I looked back down at where we had caught the snake, seeing burnt debris and broken glass, and thinking the snake was probably the least of our worries,” Evans said.
He said that as they walked back to the car, they attracted a crowd as they passed through the homes. Mostly children were keen to see the mamba through the bucket and had many questions.
“A rewarding capture. A little sad having to take the mamba away from its home, prime habitat, but it was for its safety. The community were delighted and grateful,” Evans said.
He said the snake is housed in a safe, dark, laying box, to avoid stress. She will be released after laying and the snakelets will be released upon hatching, probably in February.
WhatsApp your views on this story at 071 485 7995.
Daily News