LOOK: KZN Snake rescuer ’crawls’ with Black Mamba trapped in a roof

DURBAN - Snake rescuer Nick Evans said that while he has climbed down trees with mambas and up embankments, he has never crawled with one through a small gap in a ceiling.

Evans was speaking about a recent call-out to the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park to rescue a mamba trapped in the roof.

“This was a challenging rescue, to say the least! I’ve gone into many ceilings for mambas, never has one been right at the trapdoor,” he said.

Describing the call-out in a Facebook post, African Wildlife Vets said Dr Rowan Leeming called Evans for assistance.

“Venomous snakes are not to be messed with and while you may have the snake-handling kit on hand, it's sometimes safer to call in a professional,” said the organisation.

It was not the first time Evans had been called to the park for a mamba.

The organisation said this mamba had settled in a small gap in the ceiling above some bathrooms.

Evans opened the trapdoor and heard movement, although he could not see anything.

“Then, Rowan noticed the mamba’s open mouth right next to Nick's head ... A close call, but it fortunately moved away, as did Nick,” said the organisation.

Evans used his snake tongs and raised his cellphone into the ceiling to see where the snake was.

“Nick, followed by Rowan, entered the hot ceiling. The mamba was nowhere to be seen, but there was a hole in the wall leading to another space in the ceiling,” said the organisation.

Evans crawled along a beam through the hole, to locate the mamba.

“He spotted it in a small passageway, hiding under some fallen thatch. It had nowhere to go. He skilfully and safely managed to capture it,” said the organisation.

However, to complete the rescue Evans had to overcome the challenge of containing the snake, as his container did not fit through the hole.

“He had to crawl back through the hole, mamba in hand! Once through, with Rowan's help, he managed to contain it,” said the organisation.