My dogs killed a black mamba

[anacondaMreM]

I stay in burgersfort n 10km or so frm my house ther is a new mine being built,so i think those loud machines r bringing the snakes in my area ,. Two 3m black mambas entered my yard during the weekend n my two dogs ripped 1 apart m jus glad they dd nt get bitten,. I found the other on my tree so i locked my dogs in the house n grabbed a stick to try n handle the snake ,i thot i cud do it cz im a Nat geo addict n m fascinated by snakes,.i dn wanna lie it almost bit me bt i removed it frm my tree n it rushed to my neighbours yard ,.i informed them so that they call a professional ,.so the snake was rescued ,. People in my area also found various snakes in their yards ,.this is scary cz we r in very rural area thus far frm town n hospitals,.honestly my neighbours r killing these reptiles ,.i jus wish i cud educate them.,m new to this site so i ddnt take pics ,bt will post a pic frm now on

[croteseeker]

I'm glad you appreciate your native herpetofauna, but I have to tell you that NatGeo is no substitute for the in-depth training required to handle elapids. You said yourself that you're far from a hospital (and therefor, antivenin). The risks of doing what you did go beyond you getting yourself killed. They pose a terrible example to others and, had you been tagged, your neighbors would be that much quicker to kill the snakes they find. To be clear, I'm not trying to call you unwise or stupid (people that appreciate snakes are usually the smart ones, in my experience), but your actions on that day were definitely not what I would consider wise. Next time, get some photos from a safe distance while you wait for a professional snake handler to get there.

Sorry for the terrible first reply to your first post. No disrespect intended. Glad to see another active field herper on the forums and I can't wait to see some of your photos.

[Allen G. Liebenberg]

Hi I am not sure why this post is under Rinkhals.It can be difficult but dogs can be trained to not attack snakes using a harmless one like a mole snake or house snake and screaming at them if they go up to attack it.A shock collar activated by a remote can also be used.These are better than having a dead snake and dead dogs to deal with.
Hope you see more snakes under better circumstances.

[anacondaMreM]

Hi ,thanx I'll b more careful nxt time ,..i joined this forum yesterday so i ddnt really no wer to put the topic ,m still learning to navigate... Is there training for snake handling?that i cn mayb join cz i really wanna no how to work with these animals

[Chopper 1]

Hi ,thanx I'll b more careful nxt time ,..i joined this forum yesterday so i ddnt really no wer to put the topic ,m still learning to navigate... Is there training for snake handling?that i cn mayb join cz i really wanna no how to work with these animals

Yes every second person is doing "training" - i would recommend you go with Bushviper's one right here on the forum - at least that way you know you are getting your moneys worth and they are very experienced. However doing a snake handling course will not qualify you to start catching black mamaba's - it will give you great info and basic handling techniques, it is only experience that will get you to where you need to be.

Good luck,
C1