Durban - On Tuesday snake catcher Nick Evans shared a video showing what happens when he releases captured snakes.
In the video Evans releases four black mambas.
“We going to micro-chip them, measure and weigh them,” said Evans in a video clip he shared before releasing the snakes away from people.
He said that the micro-chip was not for tracking purposes, but rather for research.
“I love research, and it is important in order to understand a species better, in order better conserve it. Plus, when you make discoveries, it is super exciting.
“If you see a dead mamba in Durban, please let me know, and if I'm not too far, I'll collect it. Dead mambas are very useful for a few aspects of our research. However, live black mambas are far more beneficial to the environment, and to our research,” he says.
Evans also urged that people report to him if they ever hear of black mambas clashing with dogs in the greater Durban area.
“As unpleasant as it is, please report details to me (date, approx time, dog type, area, result). Same goes for any venomous snake. It's important to keep a database of how many incidents happen. If you hear of a confirmed black mamba bite on a human, please let me know,” he said.
Evans explains that from what he has experienced, through networking with doctors, he has found that, out of a population of 3.5 million people in the greater Durban area, anywhere between 2-3 or 4 black mamba bites a year on humans are seen.
“That's incredibly low, considering there are a lot of mambas. It shows they're not these vicious, evil animals. Many of the bites we do record, are on people trying to kill or catch them,” Evans said.
Daily News