Nick Evans poses with the fifth/sixth Black Mamba.
Image: Supplied
A Durban snake-catcher got more than he bargained for when he went to a Westville home this week.
Nick Evans is a well-known snake rescuer in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and has seen so much, but was not prepared for what he would see.
Evans said he previously caught a Black Mamba under the solar panel from a house in Westville, and since then, he caught two more. Another colleague of his in this industry also caught one. That is four Black Mambas from one roof.
On Wednesday, Evans was called back to the same house.
“I couldn't believe it when the homeowner's number popped up twice on my phone.
Both Mambas were found by the guys replacing the ceiling boards. They heard the Mambas moving on top of the plastic, beneath the tiles- a Mamba's favourite spot in a roof,” Evans said.
This brings the total Black Mambas caught at this house to six.
“I managed to pull the two impressive specimens out through holes in the plastic. The second one was a beast. Both were males, but he (number six) was the biggest,” Evans said.
Nick Evans snake rescuer poses with one of the two snakes retrieved in Westville.
Image: Supplied
He told IOL that Black Mambas are common in the Westville area and as well as many parts of Durban that has valleys and bushes.
“You would ask why so many in one roof? The house borders a nature reserve and the house had many trees growing over and against the roof, providing easy access for the mambas. So keep branches of trees cut away from roofs, but there's no need to chop down the oxygen-supplying plant; it won't deter snakes if you do,” Evans said.
He went further, stating there was a healthy dassie/hyrax population living inside the ceiling for many years, as there were mini mountains of their faeces throughout the roof.
“So the strong smell of them would have attracted mambas, which feed on the young ones. It would not surprise me if rats tried living in there, but I saw no signs of them. With mambas around, they wouldn't last long,” Evans said.
He said another reason for the large number of Black Mambas in the roof could be mating season, as these particular snakes do not live in groups. He said his colleague caught a 2.6-metre female, and she could have attracted males to the area.
“The recent chill in the air has sparked off mating season for mambas, which breed through the winter months. With the pheromones she'd give off, she may have attracted one or two males, but one of the other six was a young female, who may have left her scent trail.
However, we found a couple of old skins up there, from big snakes. It's possible the big female and one of the big males have been living there since at least last winter, due to ideal conditions,” Evans said.
He confirmed the ceiling boards in the home have since been replaced, however, some of the female snake's scent will linger for a bit.
“And the sense of smell of the males when it comes to those pheromones is remarkable. The stench of the dassies will at least be gone too,” Evans said.
While the new homeowners have not had the best start to living in their home, they have already tried preventing more snake discoveries.
“They've cut the trees away from the roof, and again, replaced the damaged ceiling boards. They've also been blocking access points for snakes, and workers have been chasing out dassies. At this point, I won't be surprised if there's a seventh,” Evans said.
IOL