The promised Black Mamba
December 19th, 2008 by Dan Hugo
Reckon it was roughly 2.2m. To be honest, I am not the bravest soul. Luckily it was towards the end of my 3h ride, and I wasnt very switched on. Only riding off did I recall the warnings about Black Mamba’s. If it was any thicker though, I’d have ripped the teeth off my big blade!
“The Black Mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis), is an elapid snake and is one of Africa’s most dangerous and feared snakes. It has a wide range of known locations throughout Africa. The black mamba is found in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Botswana, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa and the Congo. They inhabit a wide variety of areas that include open savannahs, open woodlands, and rocky outcrops.[1] It is also known for being very aggressive when disturbed or confronted and will not hesitate to strike with deadly precision.” - Wikipedia.
“Eventually, the victim experiences convulsions, respiratory arrest, coma, and then death. Without treatment the mortality rate is nearly 100%,[3] the highest among venomous snakes. Depending on the nature of a bite, death can, and has resulted in as little as 15-30 minutes or it may take up to 120-180 minutes.” - Wikipedia.
Some of the sugar cane riding…
And the local cutters who have to face the snakes more than I do.
December 30th, 2008 at 7:48 am
sjoe!