- Snake rescuer, Nick Evans, was called to the property of a bird breeder in Shallcross, south of Durban, to rescue a black mamba in September.
- The snake was wedged between the bars of one of the parakeet's cages, looking for young hatchlings.
- According to Evans, no birds or eggs were lost and the snake was released in an area where there are only "wild, free birds to prey upon".
Veteran KwaZulu-Natal-based snake catcher Nick Evans was called to a bird breeder's property in Durban to rescue a hungry black mamba in September.
The reptile got itself wedged between the bars of a parakeet's cage in search of an easy meal.
"I was worried it was going to go into another cage, or behind the cage which would be difficult, and dangerous for the birds, so I just grabbed it with the tongs," Evans told News24.
Evans quickly realised that the snake was stuck, and said he felt helpless in trying to free it from where he was standing.
"My wife was going to go inside of the cage to push out the tail while I pulled, gently of course. The guy who called us was freaking out because if we opened the cage the birds would fly out and his dad would freak out," said Evans.
Pry
Evans managed to pry the snake free from the bars without having to open the cage.
"I thought it had eaten something but the owner checked and no birds or eggs were missing, well they don't eat eggs but they like hatchlings and this cage didn't have any, lucky for the owner," he said.
The owner told Evans that had he not been called by his son, he would have shot the mamba.
"I'm grateful that the son called, he didn't want it to be shot so that's cool," he said.
Mamba's often come in search of baby birds in breeding setups, a caged animal is easier to catch than a wild animal said Evans.
The snake has since been released in an area where there, "are only wild, free birds to prey upon!".