What Would you do??????

[Long John Silver]

Let me sketch a scenario.

You get a call out for a mamba. While trying to bag the snake things get out of hand and you find yourself in a situation where you either have to kill the mamba or get bitten (or somebody else stand the chance of getting bitten for that matter).

What would you do??????

[alexander]

If you are an experienced snake catcher and save many snakes, then it would be better for you and the snake communities to kill the snake, as you will save many more.

[Serpy]

If I really have on other means of safely containing the snake, and I mean no other way at all. Kill it.

[neko]

Chances of getting bitten while attempting to kill it would make me think twice. It would have to be seriously bad if you want to attempt a kill. Elaborate the scenario a bit? I'm trying to think of a reason why killing it would be easier, but I'm drawing a blank. There's obviously something I'm not thinking of.

[Q Ball]

If it's black and white in the sense of the snake kills you or you kill it, then kill it but if you get into the sort of situation where you have to make that sort of choice then 9/10 times you are the one that has screwed up.

[Serpy]

Well with a mamba you got a very narrow line to walk, if this thing's trying to get away and there's people around and you're stopping it from going where it wants to go, believe me its gonna be pissed off! U can't risk just releasing it in case of it biting someone else. If u honestly can't do anything else then kill it quickly and humainly.

[mfezi]

there are plenty mambas, and only one me!!

Human rights>animal rights, check the law books

don

[alexander]

Theres alot more humans than mambas don, but i get your point.

[mfezi]

abundance does not mitigate murder...

but self defense does

[Bushviper]

If it is going to bite you then beat it on the head. If it is going to bite someone else get the camera and record it. We dont have enough info and you can sell the footage on RealTV.

[Boadicea]

lol@BV
Yup! They stupid enough to be still standing there while you battling with the snake they deserve to get bit -

Volenti non fit iniuria

[swazi]

LJS may be posting this question because of an incidence that happened at the reptile park a few weeks ago, told him about it when he came to visit.

Chad and Philane were taking a mamba out of a bucket for data collection, I had the camera & no grabstick or hook and I was still in a cast & on crutches (yes I know it wasn't clever but work must continue). Anyway, the snake shot out of the bucket and straight towards me. I couldn't move out of the way, had a wall behind me & was obviously slowed down by (age) the injury. It all happened so quickly that Chad couldn't get to the snake fast enough, I managed to push the snake away with the crutch but had to do so at least 3 times as it kept coming towards me.

If it continued I would have had no choice but to blat it with the crutch, was seriously considering turning it into a cobra-mamba when Chad managed to grab it.

LJS I will send you the pictures we took whilst you were here.

[snake-5]

Sorry but there is no way im killing a snake, if i die then it is doing something i love and believe in and besides chances of dying are so remote you have a way better chance of dying in a car accident than even a mamba bite.

[Bushviper]

Snake 5 if you are dead that means it was the last snake that you could help. You know how many snakes you have helped already and with what you are doing down in your part of the world the snakes need you.

Yes the chances are remote but there is that slim chance and statistics include you so you could be that 0.004 percent.

[BushSnake]

"Statistics means nothing to the individual!" - quoted from Scrubs The off chance of going into shock from the first bite makes it too risky.

I really love snakes but if I have to I won't hesitate. 1 mamba is not going to have any noticable long term effect on the eco-system but educating people on snakes certainly will.