Durban snake catcher Nick Evans has set the record straight on black mamba behaviour after a story about his encounter with the snake went viral.
Earlier this week, Evans shared a story about his encounter with a black mamba at a home in Westville. He said that even though he had been told that the snake had moved into the Palmiet Nature Reserve, he went to the home anyway to have a look.
He said that when he got there, he walked over and peered over the ledge, scanning the bush below. He did not see anything, and thought the snake must have gone hunting.
“I don't know what made me look down, I hadn't heard anything, but I did. Right next to my foot was the mamba, slowly slithering past my foot in the grass, which was above ankle height,” Evans said. “Did I keep still? No, I jumped back in disbelief at what just happened.”
“Our eyes locked, and the mamba knew it was time to flee. It tried getting back to the reserve, but I grabbed it with the tongs, a quarter of the way down from the head,” Evans explained.
He said that once the snake was in his hands, he checked his legs for punctures. He had heard of people, usually handlers, getting bitten by these snakes and not feeling it. Their fangs are small.
He said he was fine, just very shaken up. The mamba had an easy opportunity to bite him multiple times before he even knew it was there.
On Wednesday, Evans said that his post about nearly stepping on the mamba had gone viral. He said that as a friend pointed out, the focus was mostly all about him and the dangerous situation he had been in, which was disappointing, as it was not the point. People also often just read headlines and not the full story, which is when stories get very twisted.
“The point of the post was to highlight the behaviour of the black mamba, how they don’t just strike out and attack for nothing,” Evans said. “As I always say, I see situations where they can bite people but choose not to. This was, I thought, a fantastic example, which I wanted to share to help people understand mambas. Some people saw that, and thanks to them.”
Evans added that people should always read the full story.
Daily News