WATCH | Feisty farewell: Snake gives handler a fright before being set free
by Bertram MalgasDurban snake handler Nick Evans and his friend Carl Schloms got a bit of a fright while releasing a black mamba back into the wild - the snake decided to give them a feisty farewell.
The reptile sprung up as its head protruded from the bucket it had been transported in, giving the two a final warning to stay back.
After its grand exit, the snake quickly slithered into the bushes close by.
Feisty
Evans told News24 the male mamba was just a little feisty.
"It was a warning from a ticked-off snake, that just wanted to be back in the bush," he explained.
"I had been working with the snake the previous day, taking measurements, and he was wild - a bit livelier than most other mambas," Evans said.
The mamba was caught on the North Coast and was with Evans for two days before being set free.
Evans, an essential worker, said business had been quiet during the nationwide lockdown.
"There have been one or two calls. I've been getting call-outs for a few spitting cobras," he said. "They are currently fattening up for the winter."
The animal enthusiast said he was expecting to see more black mambas in the weeks to come, as they enter mating season.