Black mamba spotted at Durban beach: Here's what we know
A video of a black mamba spotted on the Durban beachfront has caused alarm among social media users. Here's the truth behind the video...
A video circulating online, showing a black mamba at the Durban beachfront, is actually an old video.
The video was shared on Instagram by Eduanne Niemand, @most_dangerous_job, who is a snake catcher from the Western Cape.
Seeing a black mamba at the beachfront is a rare occurrence, and with the holidays approaching, it has caused some alarm among holidaymakers.
In the video, a group of people notices the snake moving into the water. A group of professionals from uShaka Marine World and the authorities were close by and attending to the situation.
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Two people approached the snake and managed to capture it successfully, placing it into a plastic container.
The person who recorded the incident reveals a conversation between some of the authorities who share that the container would then be transported to uShaka Marine World by the police. We contacted uShaka Marine World to enquire about the incident and to verify if it was true.
Craig Smith from SeaWorld at uShaka Marine World, confirmed that the video is from 2020. The black mamba was spotted at the North pier before the sighting on the beachfront. Smith says he was on the scene at the time and they were aware of the sighting.
I was actually in the video at that time. So I can confirm it is definitely from that incident. At the time there had been a really big storm in Durban, and we had a lot of very wet weather. We believe the snake was washed down one of the rivers, probably into the harbour from the Umbilo Canal. It was spotted a few times on the north pier and then eventually washed out on the beach. Our local network had been made aware that there was potential for an incident, and as soon as they spotted it, they got hold of us. So it was a wild animal, and she was released back into the wild.
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Have a look at the video below, courtesy of Instagram.
As we enter the festive season, people are encouraged to use social media safely and responsibly. Avoid sharing old videos that could spread alarm and panic.
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Image Courtesy of Instagram