Doug and Kerry Hudson meet the black mamba, Zululand, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa

World Trip >> Africa >> Kwa-Zulu Natal >> Zululand >> Mkhuze >> Black mamba

It was the day Doug came face to face with one of his deepest fears. A fear he had felt ever since he first came to South Africa and learned about this terrifying creature, a creature that the Africans associate with the Devil. An instinctive, primal fear.

We had just been watching hippopotamus and crocodiles in the lake at Nsumo Pan, in the Mkhuze Game Reserve. It was getting late, and the sun was behind low grey clouds, diffusing the light and casting everything in a gloomy twilight. We were being very cautious, and were understandably slightly nervous, as we returned from the hide to the safety of the car. We had just seen a crocodile emerge from the inky water a little way away along the shore of the lake. Everybody knows what these reptiles are capable of. We remembered reading about a teenage boy who was taken by a crocodile just a few miles south of here, in St. Lucia, only a couple of months earlier. We don’t know what they ever recovered of his remains, but it wasn’t much. That wasn’t the scariest part, however.

Worse than crocodiles, we had also heard some hippopotamus snorting and splashing, not far away to our left. These two-ton brutes are responsible for more human fatalities than any other animal in Africa. Their cute piggy faces belie their extreme aggression and belligerence, and those massive jaws are easily capable of biting a man in two. But that also wasn’t the scariest part.

It was not a crocodile or a hippopotamus that Doug encountered, but something much more sinister.

The parking area was deserted except for our car. We reached the car intact, and heaved a sigh of relief. Kerry was driving that day, so she headed straight for the driver’s door. For some reason, Doug followed her to that side of the car. On reflection, he thinks it may have been the low branch blocking his way to the passenger door. Thank goodness he didn’t duck under it or walk around it. Instead he walked around the long way, past Kerry who was getting in on the driver’s side and reaching across to unlock his door. He rounded the back of the car. Some instinct made him freeze, even before he consciously saw the snake. That also wasn’t the scariest part.

It was one of those moments that you read about, when time seems to stand still and you can actually absorb everything that happens with perfect clarity. Several thoughts occurred to him at that instant.

Man alive! What a massive snake! It’s easily the biggest I’ve ever seen. Hmm, I wonder what species it is. It does seem to be very curious about those rodent holes I noticed earlier when leaving the car.
Ah good, Kerry is safely in the car. That is a relief!
On the other hand, I seem to be awfully vulnerable. Oh dear! My shorts, T-shirt and sandals will not offer very much protection if it decides to bite me. I do hope that doesn’t happen!

The snake noticed Doug in that same instant. It was well over two metres long, maybe even three metres. There were no markings or patterns, just a chocolate brown belly that darkened gradually into the thin dark streak running along the entire length of its back. Its intense concentration on the rodent holes broken, it uncoiled itself, flipped over and sped away towards the bushes at the foot of the tree.

Doug had never seen a snake move the way this one did. Yes, it was lightning fast, but the most unusual thing was the manner in which it raced away. It did not snake. It just went straight, like a train. But that wasn’t the scariest part either.

This all took three seconds. As Kerry was already safely inside the car, Doug tried to croak out, "There’s a snake!" so she could see it too. It was gone before she had a chance.

Seeing that the coast was clear, Doug hurried into the car before it came back. All he could say was, "Man alive!" over and over. Kerry drove us back to the thatched hut in the rest camp. Even when we were safely indoors, he was still trembling from the experience. Even now, he shudders to think of it.

We had to wait until the next morning to visit the curio shop at the camp. They had a book about southern African snakes, and Doug looked up what he had seen. It had been no ordinary snake Doug had encountered. He considered himself very, very lucky. (Of course, he knew this already, being married to Kerry!)

The snake had been a black mamba.

Only the most feared snake in all of Africa! Even Steve Irwin would think twice about handling one. Since hearing about these creatures, Doug had occasionally laid awake at night wondering how he would react if he ever came face to face with one. Would he think clearly, and back away giving it room to escape? The black mamba is shy of man but ruthlessly aggressive if cornered. They will bite and bite and bite until you stop moving. Even if you run away, they will chase you. They are uniquely terrifying in their ability to pursue their prey in a reared pose and even strike on the run. Their venom is particularly potent. The neurotoxin paralyses you until you eventually cannot breath, and if that doesn’t kill you, the cardiotoxin will stop your heart. Without medical help, a mere 15mg of the venom is enough to kill a man in fifteen minutes. A single bite delivers 400mg of it.

We had been at Nsumo Pan in the deep bush of Mkhuze Game Reserve, at least fifteen minutes from the nearest people, let alone a hospital. Now that was the scariest part!

World Trip >> Africa >> Kwa-Zulu Natal >> Zululand >> Mkhuze >> Black mamba

Last updated: Sunday August 27, 2006