Durban - As cloud cover brought some relief on a hot, sunny Saturday, snake catcher Nick Evans was called out to Manor Gardens for a black mamba that was spotted in a garden.
Evans said the mamba had started to move as the slightly cooler weather brought some relief from the “unbearable” heat.
He said when he arrived at the property, the mamba had already slithered into a neighbouring property.
“The search didn’t start well. To gain access, I jumped over the boundary wall (homeowner was not home, but was informed by the caller). The drop didn’t look so bad, although as it turns out, the grass was longer than it looked, and the ground wasn’t quite as soft as I hoped, like the rest of the gardens. Landed with more of a jolt than expected.”
Mac, the caller’s gardener, went into the neighbour’s yard to assist with the search.
Nick said the gardener searched around an old structure at the bottom of the property, while he started further away, working his way towards it.
“Suddenly, Mac shouted that he’d found it. I was so chuffed, and surprised. Although I didn’t see it at first, he had seen it in the narrow space between the wall of the structure and the boundary wall. In that space was quite a bit of straw from the thatched roof that had just recently been dismantled.”
At first Evans said he did not see the mamba and started to doubt the gardener.
“I was on the old ‘beams’ of the roof, looking down into the gap, with him. I couldn't see the snake. But then it popped out from beneath some straw. I quickly grabbed it with two tongs and lifted it up onto the wall, to try and pin it there.”
This did not work, he said, and he had to be careful due to the structure he was on.
“I wasn’t on the most stable of structures. So I was focused on not falling through, and grabbing the mamba at the same time. Not ideal.
“Eventually, with both tongs, I lifted it onto the roof with me.”
Evans said once the mamba was on the roof, it was easier to handle and he eventually managed to secure the head in his hands.
“I then had to climb off, which was a tad nervy, and I was absolutely delighted to be on the ground again.”
He said the 2.2m mamba had just had a meal.
Evans said he was grateful for Mac’s help otherwise he may not have found the mamba.
