LISTEN: South coast snake catcher bags massive 4.1m mamba
A local snake catcher is sharing the story of his biggest ever black mamba catch, an impressive 4.1m monster from inside a home on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast.
Van der Merwe, a professional snake catcher, says the mamba was his third call-out for the day.
He had already removed an egg eater from a local shop and was in the process of removing another black mamba from a home in Bhobhoyi when he was asked to rush to Murchison.
In the photo below, Van der Merwe handles the smaller black mamba removed from the home in Bhobhoyi before the Murchison callout.
He immediately knew he was in for a tough fight, saying the snake lifted itself about a metre off the ground.
READ: Black mamba found in KwaDukuza home
Despite not knowing how big the snake was at first, Van der Merwe says he always prepares himself when dealing with black mambas because of their extremely toxic venom.
Although Van der Merwe says he has heard of a black mamba catch of around 6m, the 4.1m snake he removed was definitely the largest of his career.
"Both the mambas that I caught that day were in very good condition," he said.
Both have been successfully released in different areas.
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Van der Merwe says snakes are quite active at the moment, as they hunt before the hibernation period.
He says people who encounter snakes should rather call their local snake catcher instead of trying to remove the animals themselves.
Listen to the full interview with Van der Merwe below:
For snake removals, you can contact Sarel on 082-683-1604.