Durban South Snake Rescue

24/04/2023

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24/04/2023

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By Durban South Snake Rescue

13/04/2023

I recently removed this Black Mamba from a garage in Reservoir Hills. Unfortunately, it had severe damage to its spine (look at the middle of its body). I assume it was hit by a car, and still managed to get into the garage. The homeowners hadn't harmed the snake.

Black Mambas are known to be extremely dangerous animals, but as I've learnt over the years, they're very misunderstood. While their bite is undeniably dangerous, they are shy snakes which only bite if they feel their life is in danger, and would much rather just move away. However...
An injured Black Mamba, from my experience, is quite a different animal. When they're in excruciating pain, they strike wildly at anything that moves near them, and a bite from a mamba in such condition would not be a dry bite.

This mamba was furious! It couldn't move away, because of its injury. But it had full mobility of the front half. It was striking at me repeatedly once I grabbed it with the tongs, and had a close call.
The most dangerous Black Mambas I've worked with, have always been injured ones.
I remember having to remove one off a top shelf, that had been stabbed with a steel rod. It lashed out multiple times, furiously.
Another that comes to mind, was one on a kitchen counter, that had been sprayed with doom. I have never dealt with such a mental, dangerous mamba.

My reason for posting this is not to make you scared of Black Mambas, because if you leave them alone, you don't have much to worry about.
But if you decide to try and kill one, you put yourself at a very high risk of being bitten. I know of a few bites which have been inflicted on people beating mambas with long sticks etc.

The same goes for any snake, really. Within the last week, a man tried killing a Mozambique Spitting Cobra in his house. He got spat at, and was in a great deal of pain.

Please, rather call a professional for help, for your own safety.

I see people making idiotic accusations on social media about me, quite often, making out that I lie about advice just given, or when I say repellents don't work etc, so that I can make 'more money'. I recently read someone telling people if they keep listening to me, it will get them killed 🧐🤦🏻
No snake remover is making a reasonable amount of money. We don't do this for money (although we obviously need money to operate & live). We often help underprivileged people at our own cost.
When I give advice, yes, it is to conserve snakes, but it is to help people too.

This Black Mamba passed away. It's body will be used for research.

~Nick Evans
072 809 5806
[email protected]

22/03/2023

Hat trick of spitting cobras
Monday Wednesday and Saturday were the winners.
A spitting cobra on each day were caught and safely released.
Ranging in different sizes 1m 1,2 m and a 1,5m were caught.
The most challenging was the one hiding in a love palm . After a 3 hour challenge of cutting down one palm at a time the spitter was finally caught , quite an exhausting exercise.
Glad we got to catch it though and release it into a safe spot

22/03/2023

Recent rescues

Spotty on the top of a car , a call out for a snake on the roof of a car was received, it seems the little spotted bush snake decided it was a good place to sun itself , when they arrived it was still in the same spot , was caught and safely released elsewhere.

11/03/2023

Boom slang
Although a couple of spotted bush snakes 🐍 were caught the biggest catch of all was Savannh and Grant with a boom slang.
Another lucky catch in the back yard.
With clean up day for the snakes.
Savannah was busy sorting out the cage of one of her pet snakes a non venomous .
Her friend was holding Bob - the non venomous exotic.
She was busy emptying the water dish when she saw two of the cats playing with something. It was a snake 🐍
At first glance she thaught it was a spitter but getting closer she realized it was a female boom slang , as she explained the males are green and the females are a more earthy colour.
All I heard from the kitchen was Shouting : dad boom slang! Dad boom slang! Grant went out and there it was getting ready to gap over the wall luckily Grant and Savannah caught it .
One of the most venomous snakes in Africa.
Well done Savannah we are so proud of you.
Your skills in identifying snakes are remarkable and your passion for nature is incredible.
A rare find but luckily you got two, wow something to proud about.

11/03/2023

House snakes
Though house snakes are not uncommon, finding one in a refrigerator is.
A lady phoned to say she has a snake in the fridge. While looking for a snack in the refrigerator a snake decided it was a good chilling spot and made its way into the fridge.
She carefully closed the door and gave us a call, luckily Grant was not far from were she was.
All puzzled about the snake in the fridge, there it was, by the seal of the door enough space for the body to fit.
Another brown house was caught recently but not anything as exciting as the one in the fridge.

11/03/2023

Moniter on the wall
Picking up kids from school and the call came in .A moniter sunning itself on the wall. After the dogs gave it a fright, the owner locked the dogs away worring about the moniters safety.
What an affair with Grant dodging an electric fence trying to grab the moniter it went over the wall . For some reason the moniters just know whats coming for them when they see him.
Not a normal wall he had to run around to get to the other side.
Not wanting to hurt it he let it go and chased it to the side where savannah, her brother ,mom and friend were.
After a big laughing session Savannah managed to catch the monitor, grabbing it out from under an electric fence. luckily not a very big one but big enough.
We thank the concerned citizens for a bucket they donated to put the moniter in.
Thank you to ukzn for the quick response in collecting the moniter, doing the necessary studies and the release of the moniter in a safe environment.
Savannah with a proud catch.
Shante and savannah helped with the measuring of the moniter.
It was very interesting to see the data needed for the study of them

11/03/2023

A little one
Call out for a snake in the laundry area, and all geared up , pin stick, grab stick and a clear bucket to fit a very large snake.
On arrival we were expecting something large but low and behold it was a little one.
A hatchling baby mamba, took a while to spot hiding in a shoe rack peeping just it's head out saying hello.
Wow we really need to get a smaller grab and pin stick ,just greatful during the catch the baby mamba didn't get hurt.
Even though its so small it is just as cheeky as the larger ones hooding and showing off.
Thank you Shante for the beautiful photos 📸

11/03/2023

The two step
What a luck watching the cat do the two step in the back yard , that's how we know there's a snake.
What a beauty it was, a baby vine snake What a pleasure catching one of these recently.
Very greatful we got to save it and release it .
Thank you Shante you took beautiful pictures

11/03/2023

Not much to report over the last 2 weeks but what happened will come shortly so watch this space

23/02/2023

Just a little heads up.
When phoning us to help remove a unwanted snake , 🐍 someone needs to keep an eye on it.
If you see it's moved and is now gone you can phone and let us know its not there anymore. That way we all win ,we save much needed petrol and save you a call out fee, it's a win win situation.
When keeping an eye 👁 on the snake 🐍 when we arrive it will be easier for us to catch it and remove it .
It just takes seconds for a snake to move away without noticing that it left.

23/02/2023

22/02/2023

Thank you
A big thank you to Nick Evans for always being there for Durban South Snake Rescue, assisting and giving advice where needed.
Thank you to Jaun and Shante, Grant his daughter and the newest volunteer his son for always being ampt to aid in a catch.
Even though Grant's son doesn't go on snake rescues often he found his forte. Catching monitors with his dad.(the daughter is the snake catcher)
Shante thank you for all your hard work you put into the rescue centre and always ampt for a catch and release, and Jaun you are always up for a challenge .
Most of all we would like to thank you, the people who concider preserving nature rather than resorting to other means.
Thank you for giving us that call 📞

22/02/2023

Keep eyes on the 🐍

22/02/2023

Quiet times
Only a very large redlipped herald (mistaken for a spitter)
And a spotted bushsnake caught recently

22/02/2023

Thank you for the sponsorship

22/02/2023

Oh rats 🐀
With many rescues to feed we try to breed our own rats 🐀 an mice

Send a message to learn more.

21/02/2023

The next African Snakebite Institute Kid's Snake awareness course in KZN, will be held on Sunday the 5th of March, at Phezulu Safari Park, Assagay.

For more details and bookings, please email [email protected].

21/02/2023

Excitement in the air
Recently we were called out for another critter, this time a moniter getting some shade by a wall.
Low and behold while the people who phoned us were watching it , it was just chilling calm by the wall. When Grant arrived and it saw him he/she decided to bail. Not sure if it was his height or the fact he was wearing scary gloves .
Perhaps he had been caught before! He saw Grant and dashed over the wall running round to the neighbors Grant and His son went in hot pursuit. What a jump over the wall the both of them.
They managed to catch it safely.
UKZN was contacted and were very helpful in responding quickly and professionally.
We thank UKZN for such a quick response to collect the monitor and releasing it in a safe environment. They are currently doing studies on the moniters and collect all needed information, such as weight ,length, s*x ,were it was found and more.

14/02/2023

12/02/2023

With a couple of call outs in the week we were looking for the houdinis of the snake world,call outs with no snakes to be seen.
Luckily on Tuesday we got a call out for a Mozambique spitting cobra hiding in a retaining wall. He really didn't want to get caught dashing out with super speed ,he didn't get away Grant caught it with a flash.
On Friday night 🌙 we got a call to rush to Manner Gardens , a mamba hiding under a wendy house , with little space to work with and being out of reach we called our friend and fellow snake rescuer to come to the rescue, Nick Evans bringing his extra long grab stick he caught the mamba in minutes.
Another mamba visiting people in Escomb hiding in an outside room, also a difficult catch with no space to move.
Again Nick came to the rescue as Grant's grab stick broke on Sunday as he was rearing to grab a mamba a shocking affair. Something you don't need to happen when out on a catch.
This time the mamba was hiding in a garage. As per normal signs of rats yet no rats to be seen.
A special thank you to Nick Evans for coming out and aiding in the mamba catches.
To Shante a special thank you and the youngest rescuer, my daughter for always ready to assist.
Very special thank you to Jaun for driving and letting Grant sneak away from work to go and catch snakes occasionally.
All snakes caught were safely released.
We do this for the love of nature , call out fees and donations get used to feed rescued snakes 🐍, and to purchase much needed catching equipment, and not to mention the petrol involved to get to the areas where catches are done.

12/02/2023

I've received 100 reactions to my posts in the past 30 days. Thanks for your support. 🙏🤗🎉

09/02/2023

03/02/2023

After a previous disappointment of a mamba call with nothing at all,sadness hit! All we want is a mamba catch to get the year rolling. The first mamba catch of 2023 . Black or green just one to be seen. The first two mamba catches were a disappointment as they were not there.
3rd time lucky are the words Grant told Shante .
Grant's good friend and fellow snake 🐍 rescuer Nick Evans gave him a call 📞 of a black mamba not far from where he was working.
When this happens you know your chances of getting a mamba is high.
A mamba spotted in a double garage in Bellair
Hopefully it will still be there.
Grant and Shante arrived there quickly and proceeded in looking for, and moving things around while waiting for Nick.
With building rubbel, building sand ,crates and more packed in the garage from top to floor ,a maze of places for snakes 🐍 to hide making it difficult to find.
They were shown a video of the mamba going across the garage proof that the the snake 🐍 they were looking for is a mamba.
While waiting for Nick , Shante stood on the other side of the double garage with grab stick in hand just in case the mamba was near as the gap in the door 🚪 was wide enough for the snake 🐍 to get out .
Almost like Shante being the trap near the gap.
Grant moved things around ,unpacking the garage looking for the snake 🐍 where he was working he didn't get a break.
Nick arrived , helped move things and watching Grant's back as he always does , seeing many signs of rats but none around.
Packing and moving for what seemed like days, just kidding 😂 only 20 minutes or more went past by the way.
Nick decided to move to the other side of the garage where Shante was standing.
3rd time lucky.
Grant moved to the other side of the garage ,Nick saw the snake, Grant carefully moved a roll of barb-wire and and moved a wooden crate . Can you believe it after all that hard work,as it always happens the mamba popped out it's head and Nick managed to grab it .
Grant and Nick had to go through an Obstacle course to go outside carrying the mamba hand in hand.
What a beauty.
A beautiful specimen, a suspected female 2 meter 34 centimeters long.
At long last the first mamba of the year we are all smiling from ear to ear.
We would just like to thank Nick for giving us the call ,and Grant and Shante from Durban South Snake 🐍 Rescue for going out. A huge thank you to Jaun for allowing Grant to leave work to go catch the mamba.
A big thank you to the concerned citizens for calling us to catch the mamba.

29/01/2023

Mozambique spitting cobra, footage was slowed down to show how they spit

29/01/2023

There was a huge amount of excitement and energy this morning in the SAAMBR Dangerous Creatures exhibit at uShaka Marine World as staff watched and carefully documented the hatching of 12 green mambas.

The herpetologists were not surprised to notice the young snakes emerging from their eggs as yesterday marked the 70th day since the eggs were incubated. In November last year, Nick Evans- Snake Rescuer rescued a green mamba from a residential area and noticed that the snake was visibly gravid. In order to give the mom and her offspring the highest chance of survival, he brought the snake to the herpetologists at uShaka Sea Word.

The beautiful, gravid, mom was given some privacy and offered a laying box in order to comfortably deposit her eggs. As soon as the hatchlings have shed their skin and eaten their first meal, they will be released.
Although green mambas are born venomous, they have a very docile nature compared to their nervous cousin, the black mamba. Green mambas are arboreal snakes found throughout the KZN coast and are generally never found more than a few kilometres from the coastal forest.

I LOVE KZN uShaka Marine World

26/01/2023

Too hot too trot.
Sorry for the late posting. With the unbearable heat we have recently had we would had thought that we would have call outs galore but no it was the other way round. Things were very quiet on the fore front.
Low and behold.
While attending a friend's daughter's birthday 🎂 party, the phone rang the ring tone one on its own was screaming in the background.
At last on Saturday we got a frantic call for a possible MAMBA. When we asked for the address, we realized it was just a few houses from where we were.
A family affair.
Pin sticks,grab sticks and bucket were grabbed and off they ran 🏃‍♀️ 😳 Grant, Shante,Savannah - her brother and a friend went dashing up the road looking for the house 🏠 in question. Only 6 houses up they all arrived on foot .
Minutes later the friend and brother are running for a torch 🔦 the critter was hiding in a hole next to wall. Not wanting to come out.Very happy to show face to others but not the snake catcher's. They could see something hiding but not sure what it was hence the hose pipe came in handy. Trying to flush it out with no success.
Crazy as can be.
A friend and photographer decided to come with on the catch and crazy as can be.
The only one willing to put his ear by a drain cover to hear if the 💧 has gone in a different direction.
Thinking it was a mamba a friend and fellow catcher came to assist.Nick Evans was quite happy when he saw the digging had to begin.
Hard at work.
Not a easy task trying to dig out a snake without hurting it and realizing that there are more holes than one just made the task longer and more complicated.
Joking around.
Even though the tension was high they did manage to get in a laugh or two.
After digging holes 🕳 😏 Shante's husband whom arrived later decided to help.
With a pick in hand he was making noise on concrete which is just too difficult to pick up.
The vibrations did the trick.
The snake stuck out his head on the opposite side where he was originally seen.
Grant managed to neck the snake 🐍 and Nick had to push it out through the other end standing in a gap under the house.
A huge Mozambique Spitting Cobra.
Commonly known as an Mfezi.
We would like to thank Nick for always being there to help the Durban South Snake 🐍 Rescue with any issues we may be having and assisting where needed.
Thank you Grant, Shante,Savannah and the photographer for taking 📸 photographs during the catch and the day after.
We also would like to thank the residents for giving us a call an not killing the snake.
Disappointed.
Dam no MAMBA for us yet this year hopefully soon.

25/01/2023

Now in stock! Life of a Snake Rescuer - by Nick Evans

Life of a Snake Rescuer is all about the exhilarating and sometimes harrowing snake removals that KZN based snake remover, Nick Evans has done.
Read all about Nick’s personal accounts of his most extraordinary rescue calls for Black Mambas, Cobras, Pythons and even Crocodiles! The book includes where Nick’s love of snakes came from, and how he managed to turn his passion into a career.

Price R200.00
Order from our online shop here: http://bit.ly/3ghl2eI

16/01/2023

The day started with a call for this young Black Mamba, at a property in Queensburgh, that had slithered up a Syringa Tree.

Mambas in trees are always a bit tricky, but small mambas make it more tricky, especially one this small. It was only around 90cm. Would have hatched almost a year ago. I very rarely see them this size. I think because, presumably, they spend most of their time in trees.

Thanks to my 1.8m African Snakebite Institute tongs, I managed to get it.
Climbing down, with the mamba, was the hardest part. I had to jump, but I wouldn't be landing on flat ground, which was a bit concerning for me. An employee was about to try and help me down, when the slightly rotten branch I was hanging onto, started giving way, and away I went! Luckily it ended well.
That really woke me up😂

Thanks to the caller and co for calling, and keeping an eye on it.

~Nick Evans
072 809 5806
[email protected]

14/01/2023

Grant and Shante out and about

14/01/2023

A beautiful picture of one of our younger catchers holding a red lipped Herald.
Caught by a friend helping to keep our critters safe from harm

14/01/2023

Critters out and about
In this week a exciting and busy time for snakes 🐍 to show themselves. We caught a few house snakes various sizes. Red lipped Heralds and plenty of spotted bush snake. Two spotties were inside (1 in a bathroom & 1 in a kitchen under the kick plate.)
The one outside giving us a run for our money hiding in a motor vehicle.
Also receiving a couple of calls where people actually asked advice and let the little critters go free on their own knowing that they were non - venomous.
We at Durban South Snake rescue and all fellow snake 🐍 catchers would like to thank the public for understanding and not killing our illusive little critters