Durban — A clash between a black mamba, a boerboel and a Jack Russell ended fatally after the black mamba slithered into a home on the South Coast.
Over the weekend, South Coast snake catcher Sarel van der Merwe rescued what he described as a beautiful female black mamba that had bitten a Jack Russell and was bitten by a boerboel.
Van der Merwe said he and Marco had a call-out at D440 Marburg District Settlement Izotsha on a smallholding for a black mamba that had bitten the Jack Russell.
“When I got there the dog (Jack Russell) was still alive, but with respect, I told the owner that I didn’t think the dog would make it,” Van der Merwe said.
“It was a full-on bite and I could see in its (dog’s) eyes.
“By the time I finished with the mamba, the dog was already dead.”
Van der Merwe said the mamba was big. He had caught bigger ones, but “never as strong as that one”.
He said the snake was behind some plastic bags. He grabbed it and it was a powerful one.
“It was an aggressive female. It pulled me off my feet about three times.
“It was a wrestling match to get it into the bag,” Van der Merwe said.
He said that a few minutes later he tried to transfer the snake into a transparent box so he could take it to the vet, but the snake just collapsed.
“I speculate it died due to a broken spine or the snake’s heart is close to the tail around where it was bitten,” Van der Merwe said.
“She was a beautiful one.
“You don’t usually get them that size, because they are usually killed before they get to that size (about 3m),” Van der Merwe said.
He added that it was a sad rescue for the dog and the snake.
He also appealed to pet owners to train their pets not to go near snakes.
Daily News