A recent flurry of activity from black mambas in the Westville North area has kept snake-catcher, Nick Evans busy.
Over the past few days, he has caught at least five black mambas – four of them on the same day – and hiding in awkward places such as behind the dishwasher or washing machine and in between roof sheeting.
On Thursday, Mr Evans was called to an informal settlement in Welbedacht, after a black mamba was found between a mattress and a bed base.
“Yes, a strange, unpleasant place for a snake to be,” said the snake rescuer.
The snake was discovered while the family was cleaning the room and decided to lift the mattress.
“There were wooden beams placed between the mattress and the base, for extra support. This created a space between the two, a space big enough for rats to get in, and in turn, a black mamba,” he said.
On arrival, one community member offered to lift the mattress for him using a long piece of wood. This way, he was able to use both hands to catch the snake.
On Saturday, Mr Evans responded to four black mamba calls around Westville North.
The first mamba had entered an open kitchen window and was spotted by one of the dogs at the property, which alerted its family.
The 2.2m male mamba was caught behind a dishwasher.
The second mamba, in a different property, was also caught in the kitchen behind a fridge, “and did not make for an easy catch like the first mamba”.
Also around the 2m mark, it was eventually pulled from behind the fridge and placed in a bucket.
The third mamba was caught on a garage roof between roof tiles and was removed through one of the holes in the plastic.
The fourth mamba, however, managed to slip away.
“These scenarios may sound terrifying, and I guess they could be. A highly venomous snake in or around a home does of course come with risks. But the fact is, mambas, or any snakes, do not come to our homes with malicious intent. They’re not looking to attack. Try not to live in constant fear of snakes,” said Mr Evans.
