Green mamba at Sibaya construction site
In fairly recent times, Snake Rescue’s Nick Evans has been called out twice to the same construction site in the Sibaya area of the KZN North Coast to remove green mambas - both on scaffolding.
“As
completion of the development neared, I figured that's it for the green mamba
calls from there. Well, I was wrong, and a third was in store for me,” says
Nick.
Green mambas are generally restricted to the KZN coastline, in the lush, coastal forests, seldom venturing further inland. However, their habitat is constantly being destroyed, and so with less and less space to live, they often end up in weird places, like this!
“Green mambas are highly venomous, with a mostly neurotoxic venom (affecting the nervous system). They are shy snakes, which are not often seen due to their arboreal (tree-dwelling) habits,” says Nick.
“I am so grateful the staff at this construction site had a call rather than kill policy! I think they've completed their building now, so now there should be no more mamba excitement with them, much to my disappointment!”
To listen to the latest installment of the popular Snake Rescue podcast, where Nick goes to rescue a green mamba, click below.
Last week, Nick Evans had to solve the mystery of the missing hamster.
Hamsters are cute little pets. However, snakes don't see them that way. To some snakes, hamsters are a very tasty snack. In this edition of Snake Rescue, Nick Evans deals with a case where a black mamba picked up the scent of a pet hamster... and moved in.
"A young man had been 'hamster-sitting' his little sister's pet while she was away. You can imagine the shock and horror he experienced when he went to check on it, and found a black mamba in the hamster cage, with a bulge in the middle, and no hamster. How does he explain that to his sister? Awkward," says Nick.
Listen to the full story in the podcast below:
Listen to past episodes via our channel below:
Nick's organisation, KwaZulu-Natal Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, is a chapter of The Lawrence Anthony Earth Organisation.
Contact Nick on 072 809 5806 for information about snake removals in the Greater Durban area. Email him if you'd like to find out about his educational talks.
Main image courtesy of Nick Evans