Durban: Durban snake rescuer Jason Arnold had his hands full this morning rescuing a 1.6m pregnant green mamba from an eco-estate in uMhlanga.
Arnold said that when he arrived, he didn’t expect the snake to be on the front porch decking, very close to the family’s front door.
“I thought they would have to take me to the snake. I literally had to jump out of the car and grab the snake which noticed my movement and tried to escape.
“Luckily, I had my wife with me, who assisted and I grabbed the tail.
“If the snake got under the decking, she would have laid her eggs and then, in a few weeks, the family would have had about 10 baby green mambas around their home.”
Arnold said the domestic worker spotted the snake when she arrived for work this morning.
“The homeowner sent me a picture to ask if it was a green mamba, which I confirmed.
“I also told her that the snake was pregnant. Green mamba’s are generally found on trees. This time of the year, they are typically found on the ground looking for a place to deposit their eggs.”
Arnold said the green mamba was with him.
“I will keep her with me until she deposits her eggs. It’s safer for her to do so in captivity.
“Once the eggs hatch, they will also be released back into nature.”
Arnold said that in the past month, he had visited the same eco-estate and rescued two highly venomous vine snakes and a spitting cobra.
IOL