Dog alerts young Durban girl to black mamba above her bed

Snake rescuer Nick Evans, who was contacted to capture the snake, said the girl was relaxing on her bed on Monday afternoon when her dog walked in and started barking and was looking up.

A 2.3m long black mamba was rescued from the ceiling above a youngster’s bed in Bellair. Picture: Nick Evans.

Published Nov 2, 2021

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Durban ​-- A young girl was spared a nasty surprise when her dog alerted her to the black mamba laying on a roof batten in her bedroom.

Snake rescuer Nick Evans, who was contacted to capture the snake, said the girl was relaxing on her bed on Monday afternoon when her dog walked in and started barking while looking up.

“She looked up and there was this decent sized black mamba, also relaxing,” he said.

Accompanied by his friend and fellow snake catcher in the area Grant, Evans said when they arrived at the property, the pair walked down to a wooden cabin.

“As we walked in, we could see the mamba. It was draped over the top of the wall of the cabin, looking back at us,” he said.

A 2.3m long black mamba was rescued from the ceiling above a young girl’s bed in Bellair. Picture: Nick Evans.

Evans said he was worried that the mamba would move out the back, and into the bush.

“But I walked up to it and reached out slowly with the tongs, grabbing it gently. I had the tail end, so I grabbed that with my hand, and with the tongs in my right hand, waited till the head appeared. After a short while, it did, and I pinned it down,” he said.

Evans joked that the rescue was anti-climatic, as the mamba was so relaxed.

He described the 2.3m long mamba as skinny, and added that the snake was in need of a good few rats.

“The flash from the camera has made the snake's eyes reflect, and it looks far more terrifying than it is,” he said.

Evans added that the family handled the situation well and were not afraid of the snake.

“Interestingly, they were quite excited about it, rather than terrified, which was pretty cool. They handled the situation well. Remember, the mamba will have had no intention or desire to bite anyone, as long as it was left alone,” he said.

A 2.3m long black mamba was rescued from the ceiling above a young girl’s bed in Bellair. Picture: Nick Evans.

THE MERCURY