Black Mambas Discovered in Four Homes in One 'Terrifying' Day

A snake catcher had a busy and "terrifying" day after he was called to four homes to catch four highly venomous snakes in quick succession.

Nick Evans, a snake catcher based in South Africa's Greater Durban area, said in a Facebook post that there was a "flurry" of activity from the highly venomous black mamba species last Saturday. All calls came in "quick succession," for him and veterinarian Carla Goede, who was assisting on calls that day.

"These scenarios may sound terrifying, and I guess they could be," Evans said on the Facebook post. "A highly venomous snake in or around a home does of course come with risks. But the fact is, mambas, or any snakes, do not come to our homes with malicious intent. They're not looking to attack. Try not to live in constant fear of snakes."

Black mambas are an extremely venomous species of snake native to southern Africa. Their bite has a fatality rate of 100 percent if left untreated. It is currently summer in South Africa, a time when snakes are typically more active. During this time, it is not uncommon to find them sheltering in homes.

These snakes are also extremely fast, able to slither at speeds of 12 miles per hour.

The first call of the day came from a home that was startled to find a black mamba, measuring over 7 feet, slithering through an open kitchen window. Thankfully, the homeowners' dogs alerted them to the presence of the snake, which made a dart behind a dishwasher, Evans said.

Evans and Goede arrived at the property to tackle the situation.

Luckily, this made for an easy catch.

It was not the same story at the next home, where a mamba was hiding behind a washing machine. Evans said this "did not make for an easy catch."

"As we approached, it shot out from behind the machine, in a panic, and bolted behind the fridge," Evans said on Facebook. "Carla and I stood on either ends of the fridge, trying to extract the frightened, fired up snake. She eventually managed to pull it out of there and secure it."

This mamba was around seven-and-a-half feet long.

At the next house, a black mamba had taken refuge in a garage roof, which it gained access to through a tree.

"The residents watched it for us from the outside, in case the mamba made an exit, while Carla and I went in the garage, and discovered that the mamba was in the apex/middle of the roof, on top of the plastic sheeting," Evans said. "There were some holes where we thought it was. We hoped to extract it through those. I went onto the roof, and quickly spotted the mamba between the center roof tiles. Fortunately, they were loose, making life a whole lot easier. I lifted them, and got tongs on the mamba, while Carla used my tongs to grab the mamba through one of the holes in the plastic."

The snake catcher and the veterinarian moved the snake down through the hole. Once they got the snake down, they realised that it had recently fed from the large bulge in its belly.

"A rat, judging by the size," Evans said.

The fourth black mamba was not caught, however it is not always necessary to move these snakes unless they are posing a direct danger to humans.

Evans does not just remove snakes from the home, but advocates for their conservation. Although the snakes are potentially very deadly, bites remain very rare.

"Human intruders are far more of a threat," Evans said. "A snake remover friend of mine, who removes hundreds of snakes a year, without getting attacked, was attacked and hurt in his home last night. Not by a mamba or cobra. By a human. My point is, in South Africa, snakes are the least of your worries. Particularly non-venomous ones. If you have a venomous visitor, move away from it and call a professional for help, and you'll be fine."

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