“She Looks Thin Though”: Black Mamba Rescued From Drain After Hosepipe Trick by KZN Snake Catcher

• A 1.7-metre black mamba was flushed from a residential drain in Westville, KwaZulu-Natal, after all other extraction methods failed
• Snake catcher Nick Evans returned to a property where he had previously been called out before, only to find the mamba hiding in an offset pipe and refusing to budge
• The snake was eventually coaxed out using low-pressure water and was safely secured by Evans using tongs from the African Snakebite Institute

A 1.7-metre black mamba was rescued from a drain at a Westville home in KZN. Snake catcher Nick Evans shared the rescue in a Facebook post on 9 March 2026. The mamba was flushed out using a hosepipe after every other method had been exhausted.

Residents at the Westville property spotted the mamba alongside the house before it vanished into an open drain. Evans, who had been to this same property on previous call-outs, responded to the emergency. He and the homeowner had to think fast to get the snake moving.

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A snake that refused to cooperate

Evans first attempted to locate the mamba visually, but could not see it anywhere in the drainage system. The pipe ran downhill and could exit at two separate points, making the search even trickier. He covered one drain opening and walked further down the property to check for any other hidden exits.

When he returned, the mamba was pressed up against the plastic grid covering the drain he had just secured. Before Evans could act, the snake reversed back into the pipe and settled inside an offset section that kept it safe and dry.

With the snake completely out of reach, the homeowner proposed sending water through the drain at low pressure. Evans agreed, though he was cautious about flushing it further into the system.

The plan worked. The mamba responded immediately to the water and began moving slowly out of the drain opening. Evans was surprised by how unhurried the snake was for its size.

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“I was surprised, as it was a 1.7m mamba, which at this size, are usually quick and feisty,” Evans said.

He guided the snake out using tongs from the African Snakebite Institute and secured its head before completing a safe capture. The mamba was successfully removed and relocated.

See the post below:

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• A KZN snake catcher, Kaelan Pillay, successfully extracted a healthy black mamba discovered in a kitchen.

Source: Briefly News