Cape Town – Diners were left in shock after a large black mamba made an appearance at a popular Durban restaurant.
The snake was spotted at a popular Westville restaurant earlier this week.
Snake rescuer, Nick Evans received a call from the restaurant owner, who informed him of the incident.
“It’s a busy area, though close to the Palmiet Nature Reserve. I expected it to be a large house snake or herald and made my way there,” wrote Evans on his Facebook page.
“I received a bunch of calls about it. Even my wife got calls from colleagues.”
Evans discovered that it was a “large looking” black mamba trying to hide under a vehicle.
“Not what I expected, especially in the weather we were experiencing. It was pouring. When I arrived it was under a bakkie, as I expected, yet dreaded. I spotted it as I stuck my head under — not that it was hard to spot,” said Evans.
A fellow snake rescuer who had arrived for dinner at the restaurant was able to help Evans get the snake out.
“Unfortunately there wasn’t anything to be happy about… The snake had been run over and I could see it was finished. It died hours later. A massive disappointment and shame.”
Evans said the snake’s body had been donated for research.
Evan’s followers were saddened by the death of the snake. Meanwhile, one diner is now considering stopping dining and opting for takeaways.
“Reading the post in a restaurant in Westville. I checked under the chair I’m sitting on and I’m changing my mind. No more dining out, it’s a takeaway now.” wrote one follower.
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Picture: Facebook/ Nick Evans – Snake Rescuer
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Compiled by Olwethu Mpeshe
