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
of skiet hom met die rollie,6 keer 
,die koeel gate kan mos reg gemaak word!!!
