Durban - Snake catcher Sarel van der Merwe was called out to Gamalakhe on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast for two mating black mambas on Friday.
This comes after The Mercury reported that local snake catcher Nick Evans captured two black mambas mating at a business premises in Reservoir Hills a week ago.
Van der Merwe said he had to rush to the Gamalakhe area for two black mambas mating in a bush next to homes.
“I managed to catch the male and unfortunately the female got away,” he said.
While Van der Merwe held the mamba, it began trying to break loose and slapped him in the face with its tail.
The South Coast snake catcher said he would go back to try to catch the female.
Van der Merwe added that it would be nice to release the pair together.
“I don’t like to catch them in the wild, but this is right next to people’s homes,” he said.
Meanwhile, following Evans’s successful capture of mating black mambas at the Reservoir Hills business premises he was called out again on Wednesday for another black mamba at the same place.
This comes after Evans caught a female black mamba on May 4, 2022 and two males on the same property.
“Mamba #6 at this same property, since the May 4!” he said.
Evans said the usual behaviour of the mambas at this property was for the snakes to sprawl out on beams, on the side of the property.
He said on Friday, the mamba was at the doorway of a staff member’s room on the property.
Evans said the mamba was under a small gap under the premises and he was unable to reach it so he decided to use a hose pipe.
“This got it moving, and it was keen to come out. I ended up getting a hold of the tail. But that’s all. It just wouldn’t budge. I waited and waited. I tried poking its front half with my hook. Then, I tried the hose and running water. That did the trick! The mamba quickly reversed out of there, and I had it secure,” he said.
The mamba was a 2.5 metre male, the biggest of the four males Evans had caught at the property, he said.
“He was very likely there looking for the large female that I removed the other day,” he said.
While Evans said he thinks the staff enjoy the excitement, he believes the woman who has a room there, is not too happy.
“I spoke to the neighbour. She said she’s moving,” he said.