Botswana: Mamba Kills Molepolole Man

The Voice (Francistown)

26 February 2008
Posted to the web 26 February 2008
Moses Maruping

A Molepolole man learnt the hard way why the black mamba is widely considered the world\'s deadliest snake.

Moagi Moporofiti Masilo, 42, died before reaching hospital minutes after the two-meter reptile bit him on the finger.

His companion, Tirelo Kootshotse, told how they had seen the deadly snake basking on top of a stone.

\"We started throwing stones and sticks at it, but it stood unmoved. Eventually, it slithered into the bush, and I told him to leave it alone.\"

Masilo ignored his friend\'s advice, removing rocks to see if the injured snake was underneath.

\"Even his wife tried to call him off, but he continued, joking that if he died she would get to eat pounded meat at his funeral.\"

They then spotted the snake coiled on a branch and Masilo continued his attack, throwing big stones at it until one cut it in two.

\"With its remaining body the snake slithered under a heavy rock. Moagi lifted the rock and was bitten on his finger.

He just laughed it off, then a couple of minutes later he told us that the pain was spreading along his right hand. He then started vomiting a greenish substance and told me he had a strong urge to spit out saliva, but couldn\'t as there seemed to be something blocking his throat. He was gasping for breath and covered with sweat. Minutes later he clenched his teeth and died before we could get him to hospital.\"

The deceased\'s family are still battling to come to terms with their son\'s passing and suggested his untimely demise could have been caused by evil spells.

Scottish Livingstone Hospital Chief Medical Officer, Dr. James Orenga, confirmed the cause of death.

\"Victims of these kinds of snake bites need to receive treatment within 15-20 minutes to stand a chance of survival,\" he said. The deceased will be buried this Saturday.

BLACK MAMBA FACTS

Black mambas are fast, nervous, lethally venomous, and when threatened, highly aggressive.

They live in the savannas and rocky hills of southern and eastern Africa and are the region\'s longest venomous snake, reaching up to 4.5 meters in length, although 2.5 meters is more the average.

They are also among the fastest snakes in the world, slithering at speeds of up to 20 kilometers per hour.

They get their name not from their skin colour, which tends to be olive to gray, but rather from the blue-black colour of the inside of their mouth, which they display when threatened.

Black mambas are shy and will almost always seek to escape when confronted.

However, when cornered, these snakes will raise their heads, sometimes with a third of their body off the ground, spread their cobra-like neck-flap, open their black mouths and hiss. If an attacker persists, the mamba will strike not once, but repeatedly, injecting large amounts of potent neuro-and cardio toxins with each strike.