Black Mamba Capture... Zambia.
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Black Mamba Capture... Zambia.
Thought I'll share this story ... One of our crew members up here in Ndola,Zambia has his farm down in Lusaka..
Seeing that a lot of us do some overlanding trips etc. up in africa.. Please be aware as this can happen to anyone of us!! Think he was probably the luckiest guy alive that day...
Anycase here's the story as told by Angus..!
How to catch a black mamba safely. (Dendroaspis Polylepsis, the fastest land snake in the world, 5m per sec, when stressed, Neurotoxic, fatality can be %100 if bitten)
Equipment required.
1. A Nissan Patrol.
2. Field mice.
3. A finger and thumb.
Method.
Leave Nissan patrol parked outside front door for 3 weeks, this gives the mice time to set up under the bonnet and make a cosy home.
Return to car and after investigating why electric windows are not working, discover mice have chewed through wiring loom.
Spend most of the day cleaning engine repairing wires and use water cannon to dislodge mouse into jaws of waiting terriers.
Now place rat poison in small plastic tray on engine block and close bonnet.
The trap is now set, there is a strong smell of mouse to attract your Black Mamba but the poison is there to ward off the pesky unwanted mice.
Stage 2. (The tricky technical bit)
Return to the car 3 days later, open drivers door and start engine. (this is important to wake the possibly sleeping Mamba and ensure it is fully alert )
Now position oneself in front of car, release catch and raise the bonnet with your left hand. Normarily one would now use the right hand to put the bonnet stay in place. (not to be advised in this case of Mamba capture)
Now move your right hand forward to the engine block where you will notice the mouse poison has slipped off the engine block and go to retrieve it.
This is now the critical bit where split second timing is essential! The right hand will come into contact with part of the snake.
This is good as it will cause the snake to enter the flight phase and move at speed for the gap between the bonnet and the windscreen.
Now , choose a high pitched expletive of your own choice, this is important so as to alert the wife and kids to the thrilling moment of capture! At pretty much the same time withdraw your right hand (too slow and it will be caught by the heavy now falling bonnet that you have released with your left hand, too fast and the snake might not take flight).
In my experience withdrawing the right hand too slowly was not an issue.
Now should ones timing have been spot on you will now be able to stand back and admire the head of your lovely specimen protruding from the crack in the bonnet (see first picture)
Possible consequences of being too slow with the left hand drop are either that the snake will escape completely or worse still catch the snake midway and break its back. Should ones drop be too soon the snake might move (at its 4 metres per second) downward and take a fancy to your bare ankles on the way past.
It is advantageous at this stage to live relatively close to a crocodile farm which has a small snake park attached.
Use your wife and children to now keep an eye on your snake and drive in your Rav 4, the muddy, pot-holed 7km Zambian road to the Croc farm.
Here you will collect a smiling Lovemore who may or may not believe that it is a Mamba at all.
The easy bit!! Now return to the farm and stand a few yards back while Lovemore places his thumb and finger behind the snakes head, now open the bonnet and allow Lovemore to pull the snake out safely. (see pic 2).
The next bit may be a little disconcerting but is quite straight forward. Have Lovemore sit next to you with the snake on his lap and drive the 7 km's back to the croc farm. Be very careful at this stage to drive without either rolling the car or hitting a pot-hole, which might dislodge his grip.
I did not get a chance to measure "Angus" but he was a male, about 3 years old and big enough!
For those of you visiting Zambia he is now on display at Kalimba crocodile farm rather than in my car.
Good luck, should you get the chance to capture one in a similar way. Remember the timing is critical!
Cheers,
Angus
Seeing that a lot of us do some overlanding trips etc. up in africa.. Please be aware as this can happen to anyone of us!! Think he was probably the luckiest guy alive that day...
Anycase here's the story as told by Angus..!
How to catch a black mamba safely. (Dendroaspis Polylepsis, the fastest land snake in the world, 5m per sec, when stressed, Neurotoxic, fatality can be %100 if bitten)
Equipment required.
1. A Nissan Patrol.
2. Field mice.
3. A finger and thumb.
Method.
Leave Nissan patrol parked outside front door for 3 weeks, this gives the mice time to set up under the bonnet and make a cosy home.
Return to car and after investigating why electric windows are not working, discover mice have chewed through wiring loom.
Spend most of the day cleaning engine repairing wires and use water cannon to dislodge mouse into jaws of waiting terriers.
Now place rat poison in small plastic tray on engine block and close bonnet.
The trap is now set, there is a strong smell of mouse to attract your Black Mamba but the poison is there to ward off the pesky unwanted mice.
Stage 2. (The tricky technical bit)
Return to the car 3 days later, open drivers door and start engine. (this is important to wake the possibly sleeping Mamba and ensure it is fully alert )
Now position oneself in front of car, release catch and raise the bonnet with your left hand. Normarily one would now use the right hand to put the bonnet stay in place. (not to be advised in this case of Mamba capture)
Now move your right hand forward to the engine block where you will notice the mouse poison has slipped off the engine block and go to retrieve it.
This is now the critical bit where split second timing is essential! The right hand will come into contact with part of the snake.
This is good as it will cause the snake to enter the flight phase and move at speed for the gap between the bonnet and the windscreen.
Now , choose a high pitched expletive of your own choice, this is important so as to alert the wife and kids to the thrilling moment of capture! At pretty much the same time withdraw your right hand (too slow and it will be caught by the heavy now falling bonnet that you have released with your left hand, too fast and the snake might not take flight).
In my experience withdrawing the right hand too slowly was not an issue.
Now should ones timing have been spot on you will now be able to stand back and admire the head of your lovely specimen protruding from the crack in the bonnet (see first picture)
Possible consequences of being too slow with the left hand drop are either that the snake will escape completely or worse still catch the snake midway and break its back. Should ones drop be too soon the snake might move (at its 4 metres per second) downward and take a fancy to your bare ankles on the way past.
It is advantageous at this stage to live relatively close to a crocodile farm which has a small snake park attached.
Use your wife and children to now keep an eye on your snake and drive in your Rav 4, the muddy, pot-holed 7km Zambian road to the Croc farm.
Here you will collect a smiling Lovemore who may or may not believe that it is a Mamba at all.
The easy bit!! Now return to the farm and stand a few yards back while Lovemore places his thumb and finger behind the snakes head, now open the bonnet and allow Lovemore to pull the snake out safely. (see pic 2).
The next bit may be a little disconcerting but is quite straight forward. Have Lovemore sit next to you with the snake on his lap and drive the 7 km's back to the croc farm. Be very careful at this stage to drive without either rolling the car or hitting a pot-hole, which might dislodge his grip.
I did not get a chance to measure "Angus" but he was a male, about 3 years old and big enough!
For those of you visiting Zambia he is now on display at Kalimba crocodile farm rather than in my car.
Good luck, should you get the chance to capture one in a similar way. Remember the timing is critical!
Cheers,
Angus
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Re: Black Mamba Capture... Zambia.
Ja en nou grill ek tot by my kleinste toontjie.
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Re: Black Mamba Capture... Zambia.
As ek hom eers gewaar het,is dit tickets met my,word net daar vlou of skiet hom met die rollie,6 keer ,die koeel gate kan mos reg gemaak word!!!
Hilux=Masjien
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Re: Black Mamba Capture... Zambia.
Brilliantly told
Gotta say that is 1 beautifull animal, and really glad to see it was not killed like normal.
PS.. If it were a spider welll lets just say I'd have a mountain of my own in front of the bonnet
It's better to Burn Out then Fade Away.
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Re: Black Mamba Capture... Zambia.
Takes you back to the days of eagles and horse type hood ornaments. But I think this is going a bit far. Would be interesting to see him pull up at the garage and get the oil and water checked...... he he he
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Re: Black Mamba Capture... Zambia.
Well told and glad the snake survived. But personnaly I would give the RAV to Lovemore and told him to keep the snake and the car
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Re: Black Mamba Capture... Zambia.
Daar sou net 1 streep wees het
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Re: Black Mamba Capture... Zambia.
In die lug op of afteruit?Niel wrote:Daar sou net 1 streep wees het
To God be the glory
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Re: Black Mamba Capture... Zambia.
Wie de hel gee om dit sou seker n baie bree streep gewees het hehehe
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Re: Black Mamba Capture... Zambia.
Daai slang lyk nie baie happy op daai datsun nie....
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Re: Black Mamba Capture... Zambia.
Yes same here ... ther is no ways I would have ever come close to that Nissan's engine again...!!!
Thanks for the comments guys.. a good laugh up here!!!
Thanks for the comments guys.. a good laugh up here!!!
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Re: Black Mamba Capture... Zambia.
That was brilliant. That is the only snake that I stand far away from. It can stand on it's tail and launch itself through the air nad before you know it you are sitting under a tree thinking about your childhood and how quickly its gone.
Worry about the things you can do something about, If you can't don't worry.
Live life to the fullest with no regrets.
Live life to the fullest with no regrets.
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Re: Black Mamba Capture... Zambia.
Also not afraid of snakes .... just very wary of certain species, but the mamba I also give a wide berth. Nice story telling though!
When your road comes to an end ...... you need a HILUX!.
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Life is like a jar of Jalapeño peppers ... what you do today, might burn your ass tomorrow.
Don't take life too seriously ..... no-one gets out alive.
It's not about waiting for storms to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain.
And be yourself ..... everyone else is taken!
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Re: Black Mamba Capture... Zambia.
Great story, well written....
It has given me something to think about in terms of securing my Hilux from the pesky, sticky fingered bandits....perhaps the local snake park could rent me an anti theft mamba....
It has given me something to think about in terms of securing my Hilux from the pesky, sticky fingered bandits....perhaps the local snake park could rent me an anti theft mamba....
Q20 if its stuck, duct tape if it moves