A professional snake catcher removed two mambas, showing the value of a trained snake catcher and proving that not every situation needs to end in death.
Here's what to know
South Coast snake catcher Sarel van der Merwe was called in for two separate mamba removals: one from a storeroom and one from a tree.
According to the South Coast Herald, the first of the two incidents happened in Sea Park on Sept. 9, when a green mamba was seen in a tree. On Sept. 20, van der Merwe went to Gamalakhe after a black mamba was found in an outdoor storeroom.
For a skilled catcher like van der Merwe, getting to the property can sometimes be harder than catching the snake.
"It wasn't easy to find the place," said van der Merwe. "I stopped and asked an elderly gentleman, and he guided me directly to the location."
In Sea Park, the problem was different. The rescue happened late in the afternoon, and the fading light made the snake more difficult to see.
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"Thanks to my headlight, I could spot him," van der Merwe said.
After being caught, rescuers took the green mamba away and relocated it safely.
More background
The back-to-back incidents in Gamalakhe and Sea Park involved venomous snakes showing up in everyday human spaces.
Snake-removal callouts from across the South Coast regularly take van der Merwe to local properties.
A sighting like the one in Sea Park or Gamalakhe can immediately disrupt daily routines, especially when a snake is hidden in the dark or tucked inside a storage area someone might enter without warning.
What can be done?
Calling a trained professional is the best way to remove a snake from your property.
When residents contact him, van der Merwe can remove snakes safely and relocate them elsewhere.
Coming across a snake does not automatically mean it has to be killed. In both September incidents, van der Merwe went to the properties where the mambas were found.
"The easy part was to catch the black mamba," van der Merwe said.
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