PICS: Black mamba found in Chatsworth home
There's relief within a Chatsworth community after a local snake handler successfully caught a black mamba at a resident's home.
Listen to Newswatch's Portia Cele's full interview with Evans below.
Nick Evans, of KZN Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, was called to Chatsworth, south of Durban, to assist after the reptile was spotted inside a resident's home yesterday.
He says although it was a large specimen, securing the reptile was an effortless task.
"Close to midday, a man walked into his house and heard something moving behind him. He saw the snake and when he saw it, he knew it was a black mamba. When he said he can see it in the house, I told him to keep everyone away, to close the doors and windows and that I'd be there shortly.
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"When I got there - it was in a corner partially hiding under a cabinet. It was not looking good at all. It was a big snake but underweight. It was an easy catch, it did not put up a fight," he says.
Evans says it isn't an unusual sighting at this time of year.
"In September, October - we had a lot of spitting cobras around. These were mostly adults looking for mating partners. Female snakes are starting to lay their eggs now. They'll lay their eggs under rocks or hollow logs and once the female has laid her eggs - she will be active looking for food. So snake activity is quite high until the end of Summer,' he says.
The snake expert has cautioned residents to call in a snake expert should they encounter a deadly snake in their home.
