Durban — A Kingsburgh resident is recovering in hospital after being bitten on the head by a juvenile green mamba, on Monday.
Private security company PT Alarms spokesperson Dhevan Govindasamy said that when paramedics arrived they were informed that a man had been bitten by a snake. Govindasamy said the elderly man was rendered symptomatic treatment before he was transported to the hospital.
Govindasamy said a snake catcher on the scene confirmed that it was a green mamba, with a fang width of 1cm.
“Residents are urged to be vigilant and cautious when confronted with a snake. Do not attempt to catch it. Call the relevant personnel to assist,” added Govindasamy.
Referring to the incident, private security company ET Rapid Response managing director Tony Lokker said the snake season has arrived.
Lokker said that while a snake catcher was en route, their response officer on the scene identified the snake as a green mamba.
Lokker said that when they arrived, paramedics were speaking to the homeowner.
“Our snake catcher informed the homeowner to tell the paramedics to get their patient to Kingsway Hospital because he was showing symptoms of being bitten,” Lokker continued.
Lokker said polyvalent antivenom was administered and the man was in a stable condition in hospital.
“Our thoughts are with the family and we trust he will pull through,” Lokker added.
According to the African Snakebite Institute (ASI), the green mamba is an attractive bright green snake, with velvety scales and may have scattered yellow scales across the body. The underside is light green to yellowish. Juveniles are often darker turquoise with green heads and light olive-green eyes.
As is the case with most green pigments in nature, damaged scales or dead green mambas will start turning blue. There are infrequent reports of blue-green mambas.
The maximum length of a green mamba is around 2.5 metres although they are seldom encountered over 2m. Juveniles hatch at around 30-40cm and grow rapidly.
The green mamba is an arboreal (tree-living) snake, only venturing to the ground to move between trees, bask in a sunny spot or chase prey. At night they may sleep curled up on branches or in the hollow of a dead tree stump. They prey largely on birds, small rodents and occasionally chameleons.
The east coast species occurs from around Port St Johns in the Eastern Cape along the coast into KwaZulu-Natal eastward into Mozambique and north into East Africa. In South Africa, they are usually found within 3-5km from the sea, but in northern KZN they may extend inland as far as 45km.
The institute explained that the venom is considered potentially lethal and is known to have some neurotoxic properties that may affect breathing. However, recent bites have all shown decent swelling and limited neurotoxic effects, suggesting the venom is a mix of neurotoxic and cytotoxic proteins.
“As this snake is docile, it is unlikely that the average person would get bitten. However, in the event of a bite, the victim should be taken to the hospital immediately. Fatal bites from the green mamba are rare.”
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