Durban — A year ago, on December 29, 2021, Durban snake catcher Nick Evans removed a black mamba from inside a gas braai, and history repeated itself in 2022 on the same day.
Evans said he captured a black mamba inside a gas braai in Westville North last year, which made for quite an amusing sight and video, and on Thursday history repeated itself.
He said private security company Mobi-Claw 911 contacted him about a black mamba in a braai area in the Dawncliffe area of Westville around lunchtime.
“When I arrived, I learned that the mamba was in or on a gas braai, or barbecue for those of you overseas, which had a cover over it,” Evans said.
He said the owner had heard the dassies (rock hyrax) making a big noise. He heard movement under the cover of his braai, and on investigation, discovered the large snake.
“I started lifting the cover slowly with my tongs, and just above the knobs was the mamba, looking at me. As you’ll see, its eyes were blue, glazed over, indicating the mamba is about to shed, which does affect their vision to a degree. Still, they see movement with ease,” Evans explained.
“I caught a brief glimpse of a young dassie under there, but it ran away. Snakes don’t usually hunt while in the shedding process. That was one lucky dassie.”
Evans said the mamba was curled up, resting on the little side table part of the braai.
“Not a bad place to relax if you're a snake I suppose. Sheltered and warm,” he said.
“It wasn’t a difficult capture. A fairly calm snake. Sometimes those ‘in the blue’ can be the most tricky to catch. I suppose they’re more frightened, with their vision not as good as usual. But I also find the big old snakes are a bit more ‘laid back’. And obviously impressive too. Awesome animals to work with,” said Evans.
He added that he did not check the snake’s sex and had not measured the snake, but it weighed 2.3kg, “a good weight”.
Mobi Claw 911 said: “That’s exactly why we have you on speed dial. Outstanding work once again.”
Reminiscing about last year’s catch, Evans said: “I remembered the one inside the braai from last year, so I checked the date, and couldn’t believe that it was a year to the day! Crazy coincidence!”
Last year, Evans said the homeowner was walking in his garden, turned a corner where the gas braai is, and “bumped into this black mamba, relaxing on the braai”. The snake got as much of a fright as he did, and dashed inside: “Flee rather than fight, as usual”.
He added: “Imagine if the homeowner didn’t know the snake was in there? He would have got a much bigger fright.
“I suppose it’s a very safe shelter, unless turned on. Luckily, calling for help was the homeowner’s choice.
“When I arrived, he wasn't convinced it was a black mamba. I opened the braai slowly, and saw a bit of the body, and knew instantly what it was!” Evans said.
He said the 2-metre snake made for a relatively quick and easy catch.
Daily News