Durban - To get some relief from the Durban heat, a Malvern father decided to take his child for a swim in the family pool on Friday when he spotted a black mamba in the pool area.
Local snake catcher Nick Evans said the homeowner had stepped out his back-door, to take his child for a swim, when he saw the snake.
“The snake saw him, panicked, and went straight for the pool pump cover.”
Evans said the homeowner backed up quickly, with his child and locked his dog inside. The man phoned for assistance and kept an eye on the snake till he arrived.
He said the homeowner responded to the situation correctly.
“IMPORTANT: The time to phone for help is WHEN you see the snake, like this man did. Not the next day, or the next week or month.”
Evans said he had a feeling that the snake was a mamba, however, he said there are quite a few cobras in the area.
“I wore my visor when I lifted the cover, just in case. I didn’t want a nasty surprise. This time, it was a pleasant one.”
He said young mambas of the size that he found were always a handful.
“Fast, feisty, and a bit more difficult to work with than those that are more than 2.2m. It thrashed around once I got the tongs on it, but I soon had it pinned. It’s around 1.8m in length. Slightly underweight, needs to find a few rats.”
Recalling the rescues of the month, Evans noted that January had been busy with mamba calls.
