Puter working sporadically...So I posted a short story of the mamba attack on day 15 of the safari on page 5 of my AR buff safari..

Mike

I'll check it out. I am so happy for you. You had a great trip and a great time. Please post a great trip report so we can live along with it.

Your friend in Texas. Bob Cunningham

The night before I flew in to Vick Falls I laid in my room at Afton House and read an article about a man in RSA that was milking a mamba in a lab and got distracted by an associates question, and let the Black Mamba bite him. He knew what to expect. They rushed him directly to a hospital as his body began to shut down. Eventually he was paralyzed unable to let people know he was not brain dead and that he could hear everything they were saying about his chances of recovery, and whether any further effort to save him was worth the effort. After some days in this paralyzed state he was able to move his little finger on one hand enough for his family and doctors to realize that he was still "there". He eventually made a full recovery.

While hunting I asked my PH what gave him nightmares. He said his worst fear was a black mamba crawling in a leopard blind with him.

(During the previous few days I had climbed termite mounds a number of times to try to spot game in the brush and thickets.)

I asked the PH if black mambas were really as agressive as described in writing. He said they were if they felt their eggs/young were threatened, and that they often had their young in termite mounds.

I'm thinking he could have spelled that out a few days earlier. Needless to say I stayed clear of the mounds from that point forward.

quote:

I asked the PH if black mambas were really as agressive as described in writing. He said they were if they felt their eggs/young were threatened, and that they often had their young in termite mounds.

Mamba's show a modicum of egg care, which is very rare amongst snakes (and most resptiles), but care of young, no, absolutely never! They don't care, or know if their young are threatened at all.

Females may curl around eggs when they are incubating but once born, thats it, the mother is done and may never see them again, as with almost all reptiles (Crocodilians being the major exception).

Unfortunately many in the bush seem to belive old Farmers tales about mamba's. The mamba is usually a victim of heresay, myth and definately poor factual understanding.Dangerous yes, very, but normally very skittish and take off as fast as possible when they encounter people. When trapped/cornered they can be very aggressive, as a defence tactic.

Next time any of yuo gusy are hutning in eastern SA, there is a good snake park in Nelspruit and near Hoedspruit, if you speak with the owners etc you will learn heaps! Go during the week when they are less busy and book a tour with the owners/managers etc. You will really appreciate it!

Kensco, the first guy to have life support use for neurotoxic venom bites was the old owner of hartebeespoort zoo. (Jack someone, his surname eludes me now). He and his collegues were toying with the idea of just putting a bite victim on life support until the venom had run its course. Neurotoxic, as you pointed out, cuases failiure of heart/respiration/CNS so, in theory if you are on life support for these functions, you will be OK (aside from any other potential complications). He was then bitten by a mamba and was unconcious on arrival. A doc he was concsulting with on this, applied this method and he came though none the worse a few days later!

I love those snakes! Pity, that like sharks, crocs ect, they are vicitim of wives tales, bad press and media who don't know anything.

Enjoy them on safari!
Cheers

As for me, I'll enjoy them when they are already dead!

Mike, your story about the Mamba trying to kill the truck. Got me to working on snake loads for my Lott. Looks like it will work just like a DGR should be used, AT VERY CLOSE RANGE. So far I get a good pattern at 6'(15"). This is with 1 oz of #7 1/2 shot. At fifteen feet, it will only be blind luck to hit a snake.

I will try other sizes of shot later to see if it affects patterns any.

Hog Killer

Hog Killer,

In concept I agree that a PH should have a few snake loads for his big game rifle, for that matter even his plains game back up.

I have tried many shot loads in both .458 Win and 458Lott/Watts. It seems to me that the spin of the shot caused by the rifling is enough to spread the shot out. Anything more than a few paces is simply too far to kill a snake with! Fortunately at a few feet distance the shot pattern is still so dense that I expect to reliably kill a snake. Even at less than about two yards shot spread out to much more than .458", so chancess of hitting is much improved!

Would love to hear how to overcome the spread, if ever you or anyone else ever succeeds. Maybe there are .45 shot cups available?

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren

Fellas how about the muzzleloader sabot 45 caliber cups...

Mike

I was much impressed with the snakes in Zimbabwe this year. We had a puff adder at close range one day. I hate poisonous snakes that don't let you know they are there.

We had a Mozambique cobra in the kitchen one night around 9:00pm. It just took the fun out of sitting around in the dark watching the stars. I had to get to bed, and I was stepping lively while doing it.