Home South African WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES Durban snake catcher saves kitten from Black Mamba but...

WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES Durban snake catcher saves kitten from Black Mamba but too late for sibling in process of being eaten

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Snake catcher Nick Evans was called out to a home in Carrington Heights on Wednesday where a Black Mamba was in the process of eating a kitten.

Snake catcher Nick Evans was called out to a home in Carrington Heights on Wednesday where a Black Mamba was in the process of eating a kitten.

Warning: This story contains an embedded picture of a Black Mamba trying to eat a kitten.

Durban – Snake catcher Nick Evans has seen it all when it comes to snake rescues.

But a call-out to a home in Carrington Heights even surprised him where he found 2.1 metre Black Mamba eating a feral kitten.

Evans, who is shooting the second season of his reality show, Snake Season, explained that he was called by a homeowner who reported a a meter and a half long grey snake in a back yard.

“The caller was very calm. I asked for a photo which he agreed to send. Well, I could not believe my eyes when the photo came through! It was a Black Mamba, eating a kitten!”.

Even said that Black Mambas are well known to feed on kittens, and he had previously seen one feed on a feral cat once before.

“Durban’s large feral cat population, while having a negative effect on the environment, is keeping mambas well fed. I think I was so shocked in this scenario, because of how calm the caller was,” he said

Evans said that when he and his cameraman, arrived at the house the mamba was mamba was pulling the kitten into a corner, where a lot of random items were being stored.

Snake catcher Nick Evans was called out to a home in Carrington Heights on Wednesday where a Black Mamba was in the process of eating a kitten. The mamba eventually spat the kitten out and was taken away by Evans. Picture: Nick Evans Snake Rescuer Facebook.

“It wasn’t a large mamba, maybe around 2.1m long, and so it was struggling to eat this kitten! It got its jaws over the head, but it was struggling with the front legs. It was hectic to see.

“We watched and filmed from a doorway, peeping out, being very careful not to disturb the mamba. We wanted to let it finish its meal. The kitten was well dead anyway.

“After about an hour, the mamba had made no progress. It was just dragging it around this corner, trying to work it’s jaws further along the body,” he said.

The situation was soon to turn when the another kitten suddenly jumped over the feeding mamba and spooked it.

“I think with that, and perhaps we moved in shock, but the snake started spitting out what it had swallowed. All that effort for nothing. I moved in. I approached the mamba, and reached in to grab it, now that it did not have a mouthful of kitten,” Evans explained.

“Suddenly, I realized the other kitten was hidden right next to it! And I mean right next to it! The mambas body was almost against it. I started pulling the mambas head-end out, desperately trying to keep it from biting the kitten. If the kitten moved in front of the mamba, it would have struck out, because it was in a world of panic itself,” he said.

The kitten made a run for it but Evans was not sure if it had been struck by the mamba.

“I pinned down the mamba, got it in a bucket, and went looking for the young kitten. Had it been bitten? I wasn’t sure. I scooped it up, from around the back of the house. It was so flipping adorable Thankfully, it was absolutely fine. What a lucky kitten,” he said.

Evans said they decided to take the kitten that had been abandoned by its mother to the Kloof and Highway SPCA.

“I inspected the deceased kitten. Rigor mortis had set in properly. I don’t think this mamba was going to get past those stiff front legs… The snake will be released away from people,” he said.

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