Black mambas invade suburbs

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Durban - The hot weather has seen an infestation of black mambas in Durban with 12 snakes caught in residential areas in the past 10 days and one man bitten on Saturday. Snake catcher Jason Arnold said he had removed seven snakes from suburban homes around Durban in the past three days. Alwin MacNamara, 45, was standing next to his car outside his Reservoir Hills home on Saturday when a black mamba struck him on his leg. He was taken to hospital for treatment. “He is doing okay. Luckily, the snake was a juvenile. The bite was mild, so he didn’t require anti-venom. For now, he is being treated at Entabeni Hospital,” said MacNamara’s friend, Vicky Kumarsamy. Kumarsamy said that he killed the snake after it bit MacNamara.

Arnold said mambas were usually noticed in January and February, but this seemed to have extended to March. “The other busy mamba period is June to July when black mambas mate.”

Mambas have been caught in Westville, Inanda, Newlands, Reservoir Hills and Queensburgh.

“The black mamba tops the list of venomous snakes. People need to be careful. Don’t try to be a hero and catch one of these. Most snake bites occur because of this. Keep your distance and don’t provoke the snake.

“South Africa also has a major shortage of anti-venom, which is a huge problem. If MacNamara had needed anti-venom, most hospitals probably would have turned him away as they would not have had any,” said Arnold.

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Sunday Tribune