Durban – Durban snake catcher Nick Evans said he was called out to the Queensburgh area for a black mamba in a laundry but found a herald snake instead before discovering a Mozambique spitting cobra in the same room at the weekend.
Evans said as he opened the door, he saw a nice-sized herald slithering out of a space on the top of the washing machine.
He said he was disappointed that it was not a black mamba.
Heralds have a weak venom, commonly believed to cause headaches, although that is a myth, he said.
He said the herald was an adult. “To give you an idea of the size. Much smaller than a 2.5m black mamba.”
Evans said he looked around before grabbing it, on the slim chance there actually was a mamba inside the room.
“There was a pile of items stored next to the washing machine. But I couldn't see anything. As I reached for the herald, it dropped. I quickly reached down and grabbed it as it did. As I got my hand on it, and I looked down where it was going, I noticed a curled up Mozambique spitting cobra just below my hand and the herald,” he said.
He said he pulled his hand away quickly.
He added that the herald was released in a nearby with the homeowner’s permission and he then fetched his visor to avoid being spat at by the cobra.
“Capturing the cobra was fairly straight forward, and I didn't get spat at, which is always a big bonus,” he said.
The cobra measured about 80cm-90cm and Evans noted that it still had a bit of growing to do.
“I then looked around for the black mamba. Wouldn't that be even more exciting, to add to the two already caught? Unfortunately, it seems it was just the two, and a case of mistaken identity with the cobra,” he added.