A 2.8 metre Black Mamba was sighted just North of Scottburgh’s main beach, in front of the Cutty Sark Hotel, on Thursday 8 February around 18h00. A male teenager who was jogging on the shore of the popular beach nearly stepped on the bugga. The little lips of sand that had formed from the wind blowing across the beach made the Mamba almost invisible until you were right up close.
Owen and Nadi Kuyper, who were going for an evening swim, alerted Crocworld Conservation Centre’s Manager Martin Derek Rodrigues. Rodrigues, a highly experienced herpetologist and snake catcher immediately responded. He managed to safely capture the snake, which was released back into its natural environment today earlier.
The Kuypers managed to capture footage of the rare incident on their cellphone. According to Rodrigues, it was the first time that he has seen a Black Mamba captured on a beach.
Rodrigues said that it was possible that due to the extremely hot weather, the snake was cooling down on the shore or having a drink of salty water. It’s also possible that he was trying to emulate his South Coast hero Derek Horlock and charge some shories.
“When I tried to catch the snake, I noticed a lot of water coming out of its mouth so it may have swallowed quite a bit of sea water,” added Rodrigues.
