Durban - For Cynthia Mthabela – who spotted a black mamba at her home on Monday night – it was a case of déjà vu as she caught a glimpse of the large snake’s mate.
The Daily News reported that Mthabela called in snake wrangler and expert, Nick Evans, on Monday who removed a 2.2-metre specimen from one of the roofs of the shacks.
He released the unharmed snake into a nature reserve.
He accompanied the Daily News to the site again on Wednesday to find the second snake, believed to be the mate.
Mthabela said: “My son, Tiano, who’s two years old, saw the snake and ran in to tell me. I went outside and saw it, lying on the grass. I just thought: ‘Yoh! Just let me get out of here!’”
When Evans and the Daily News arrived she told him: “I think you’re going to need a much bigger bucket!”
The snake was apparently much bigger than the one Evans had removed on Monday.
Mthabela has been living on the abandoned property for 13 years and said the group often saw snakes but none as big as the two mambas.
“I don’t understand why they want to live here. There’s no water or anything,” she said.
But Evans pointed out that the snakes had a plentiful supply of rats to feast on and shelter in the form of the shacks and house.
Mthabela said: “We teach the children that if you see the snake, you leave it alone. You run for your life and tell us (the adults). They must not try and be heroes.”
If the snake was seen at night, she said, people often vacated their shacks.
“If you were naked in your shack and you saw it, you would probably run out naked on to the road to get away. Some people have jumped through windows to avoid it. We are so scared.”
Residents were now more vigilant.
“To be honest, we struggle to sleep. I feel like I must sleep with one eye open.”
She said residents often saw the large reptile fighting with a stray cat in the area.
“We’ve seen them fight. The cat sometimes slaps it away.”
She said the shack where the first snake was found had been vacated.
“The man that was staying there is scared. He took some of his stuff and moved away. I don’t think he will ever go back there.”
Evans, using his grabstick, headlamp and a broom, tapped the asbestos roof of the shack where the second snake had been seen.
“I don’t think he’ll be in here now. During the day, snakes generally bask in the sun and are creatures of habit. They often seek the same spot.”
He also looked in nearby trees and bushes.
“He’s probably watching us look for him,” he joked.
Evans said most breeds mated in September or October, but mambas tended to do so earlier.
“During the day, they actively hunt down their prey, on the ground and in the trees. They’re excellent climbers, often basking in the sun on the tops of trees in the morning.
“Their diet consists mainly of rodents, dassies, and birds, but they will take other small mammals and lizards as well.”
He said after actively hunting down prey, they struck the animal, injecting it with their potent, fast-acting neurotoxic (affecting the nervous system) venom.
“They then leave it, letting the venom do its work. The bitten animal dies soon after being bitten, usually making an attempt to flee. They don’t get far. The mamba uses its forked tongue and acute sense of smell to track down the victim. It then starts working its jaws around the dead animal and starts swallowing it.”
Nick Evans
Nick Evans has been fascinated by snakes since he was three years old.
“I was inspired by Steve Irwin and the work he’s done in trying to bring awareness about generally feared animals.”
Evans said he had never harboured a fear of snakes and hoped one day to turn his part-time passion into paid work.
“I get called out quite often. Recently I responded to a report of a Mozambique spitting cobra which had crawled into someone’s car, probably seeking warmth or shelter.”
He said venomous snakes common in Durban included night adders, black mambas and stiletto snakes.
“People think stilettos are harmless because they’re so small and thin. They often pick them up. The bite can be very painful and it’s not unusual for people to lose a finger if they are bitten.”
Evans, who worked at uShaka Marine World’s Dangerous Creatures exhibit for two years, keeps himself abreast by reading field guides and doing research.
He also visits schools and businesses, bringing snakes along to educate people and raise awareness of their plight.
“We share our spaces with these animals so we must learn about them. Killing them is not the answer. Rather call in an expert to remove it for you.”
Snakes, he said, were integral to the health of the ecology of the areas they inhabited. “They eat so many rats. A brown house snake can eat a whole nest of them. Some eat frogs too, keeping their numbers in check.”
Snakes were also a valuable food source for monitor lizards, birds and genets.
But the job was not without its risks.
Evans has been bitten by a vine snake, which he described as a “pin prick”.
“It did not inject any venom, so I was lucky. I still had to spend the night in ICU and get tested every few hours just to make sure.”
The venom of that species is haemotoxic (affects the blood by thinning it), leaving the victim to bleed to death.
He shares details of his adventures on his Facebook page “KwaZulu-Natal Amphibian and Reptile Conservation” and can be contacted at 072 809 5806.
Mamba myths
* Mambas cannot outrun people
* They are unable to move atop long grass and sugar cane. This myth has come about because they often raise their heads up off the ground while making an escape.
* The snakes are not able to raise themselves up to adult eye-level. Mambas can raise their bodies high up off the ground, and are possibly able to bite a man at chest height.
* The snakes are not aggressive and would rather retreat than attack.
* Black mambas are not black. Instead, they usually have a grey or light brown coloration, with a white underbelly, turning to a shade of black towards the tail. Their name comes from the inside of the mouth, which is pitch-black.
Daily News