Durban - KwaZulu-Natal snake catcher, Sarel van der Merwe, is warning residents to ensure that their properties are clean as it helps to deter rats and ultimately, snakes.
“Guys, please keep your place clean so that you don’t get rats that call for snakes,” he said.
This week, Van der Merwe retrieved a massive black mamba from a home in Gamalakhe on the KZN south coast.
He said he had been trying to retrieve the snake for over a month.
“As I was looking in their store room, he came in from the roof and went to hide in a corner. That was not fun as I started to look for him. The storeroom was suddenly too small for both of us," van der Merwe said.
He said as the snake darted passed him, he was able to capture it.
Just days before, Van der Merwe retrieved a black mamba from Grape Vien as well as a green mamba in Seapark, another green mamba in Pamula and a water lizard in Southbroom.
Durban snake catcher, Nick Evans offers the following tips on what to do when confronted when bitten by a snake:
– DO NOT cut around the bite site to let the venom bleed out, it does not work
– DO NOT try to suck the venom out, it does not work
– DO NOT try any electric shock treatment, for obvious reason
– DO NOT chew the bark of a cashew nut tree
– DO NOT try to capture or kill the snake and take it to hospital with you, as this can result in another bite.
A photo will help, but if you can’t get one, it is by no means a death sentence. Doctors will treat you symptomatically.
IOL