“I Caught a Beast!”: Snake Handler Catches Beast of a Mamba in KZN Ceiling

• A reptile rescuer shared a recent story of how he was called out to a home in Karwastan after a resident heard something moving in the ceiling
• Getting the culprit out of a confined ceiling space was no easy task, and the size was something the man said was impressive
• People in the comments could not believe the man's story, with both praise and fear for the area

KZN reptile rescuer @nickevanskzn shared an eye-popping photo on Facebook on 20 February 2026. Nick Evans, who runs a reptile rescue and research operation in KwaZulu-Natal, explained that he was called out to a home in Karwastan. It was a property he had visited several times before, and one that had always had large black mambas. This time, he had to remove a snake that was in the ceiling. The homeowner knew something was up there because they could hear it moving. Nick said most calls like that turn out to be rats, lizards or other mammals. However, the clip that this resident sent was different. He could hear straight away that it was a mamba, and that it was a big one.

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Nick climbed up into the ceiling with a torch and spotted the mamba curled up in the dark. It clocked him immediately and started moving. He had to act fast, crawling across the stronger parts of the ceiling structure to cut it off before it disappeared further in. He managed to grab it with his 1.8m tongs, and that is when the full size of the snake hit him. He guessed that the mamba was around 2.7 metres.

What makes black mambas so scary?

According to experts at Kruger National Park, a black mamba's venom is highly toxic. Only two drops are lethal for a person, and a single mamba can carry up to 20 drops in its fangs. Without treatment, a bite can be fatal within seven to fifteen hours.

View the Facebook photo below:

SA was impressed with the mamba's size

People had a lot to say after seeing Facebook user Nick pulling the scary reptile out of the ceiling:

@ShellyKlinger said:

"They need to make a movie about your rescues because WOW, man… crawling around in an attic with this one, you definitely qualify!"

@AnneliKoortsBossert said:

"Snake can stay, I will be gone."

@RenierBotha said:

"I know this guy: he dives into dark ceilings and grabs a 2.7m black mamba by the tail and then climbs out of the ceiling with it. If I just tell someone this story, they will think I belong in the loony bin! But yet, there you are, Nick Evans. You are a special human!"

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@MutizwaClifton pointed out:

"Don't know why South African mambas are very small. If you want real mambas, go to Zimbabwe, Malawi, or Zambia. There you can catch long mambas up to 5-6 metres."

@RhonaThompsonPage said:

"OMW that is massive, you are seriously brave to crawl after that in such a confined space."

@KerryKyd joked:

"Everyone is leaving Karwastan. Me, I will never get out of my car there!"

More scary reptiles making appearances

• Briefly News recently reported on a KZN nature photographer who shared footage of a black mamba that had made itself very comfortable inside a Durban home.
• A rare clip of a black mamba being washed left South Africans fascinated, but it was the snake's unexpected reaction that had wildlife lovers completely gripped.
• A woman spotted something slithering behind the bin in her own kitchen and managed to catch it on video.

Source: Briefly News