A KwaZulu-Natal woman who spotted a three-metre black mamba in her lounge has lived to tell the tale after fleeing her house and calling for help at the sight of the slithery creature.
The Ndwedwe woman found a black mamba inside her home on Saturday night at around 8.30pm. She later contacted the Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) for help, according to Prem Balram.
“After spotting the snake in the lounge the home owner fled her residence.
“Reaction Officers Nkosinath Cyril Ndaba and Bishnu Maharaj arrived at the residence and after a 30 minute search, located the three metre black mamba and removed the snake from the premises.”
Balram said the homeowner was relieved.
He said the snake was relocated in a greenbelt away from residential areas.
If you ever find yourself in the presence of a snake, here are five things you can do according to Durban snake expert Jason Arnold.
1) Get pets away and to safety. Pets are known for attacking snakes and getting bitten in the process.
2) Keep an eye on the snake to see where it goes and to help the rescuer to locate it when he/she arrives.
3) Try to get a decent picture or video of the snake, so it can still be identified by a professional, if it happens to move off and disappears.
4) Don't interfere with snakes. Even if your intentions are good. Snakes see humans as a threat and will bite if you get too close.
5) If you end up being in close proximity to a snake, there's no need to panic. Just back off slowly in a non-threatening manner. The snake will probably do exactly the same.
IOL News