Durban — With the fear of stepping into a polluted river in order to rescue a 2.2-metre black mamba that was basking in the sun in a thicket, snake catcher Nick Evans said that on Wednesday, he received a call from an informal settlement in Shallcross, along the Umhlatuzana River. He was told there was a big black mamba close to the houses.
He said that calls like those never fill him with hope, as often, the mamba disappears before their arrival, or it proves extremely difficult to catch, often just moving from tree to tree.
Evans said he knew something needed to be attempted, so he went to Shallcross, pleading with the caller to watch the mamba until he arrived.
He said he met the caller on the roadside and was led through the settlement. After a bit of a walk, they got to a clearing where a small crowd had gathered.
“It was good to see that many people were watching the snake for me. But I had this horrible sinking feeling as soon as I saw where they pointed to where the snake was,” Evans said.
He said the crowd pointed to a clump of bush in the middle of the river.
Evans said the water quality in the Umhlatuzana River is criminally poor, as is the case with pretty much all our rivers. Heavily polluted, a disgrace, it's hazardous to humans and wildlife.
“With lots of rubbish dumped down there as well, I knew this would be unpleasant. And I didn’t have my gumboots, just my trusty slops,” Evans said.
He said even though snakes empty their bowels on him daily, it did not bother him.
“Human excrement, I draw the line there. That was far more of a concern, and whatever else may be in the water, than the mamba,” Evans said.
“Fortunately, as I warily made my way down, I found that I could get to the mamba without stepping in water, and potentially losing a foot. Unfortunately, I could see the colour of the rocks was not a natural one,” Evans said.
He said it had to be done, the mamba stood a good chance of being killed by the community or entering a home, where further disaster could occur.
“The opportunity presented itself to use my new African Snakebite Institute collapsible tongs, which extend from 118cm to 175cm. I reached out and grabbed the mamba, which was too busy enjoying the sun, with those tongs, pulled it closer, and grabbed the neck with my 1.1m tongs. It was actually a pretty easy catch! It was a little cool to the touch… and so it didn't have a lot of energy. Obviously, it hadn't been basking for too long. The hardest part was getting out of this thicket with the mamba, and not falling into the sewage-filled river,” Evans explained.
He said the community was delighted and extremely grateful to see the 2.2m mamba being taken away.
“I was grateful to them for not killing it and especially grateful to the gentleman who called me.”
“It was a well-fed mamba, most likely living off what I’d imagine there to be an abundance of rats there.”
Evans added that it was a “fun rescue”.
However, he wished the powers that be could sort out our rivers, and get them restored to their former glory, so that wildlife can thrive, and people can benefit from it too.
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