A man bitten by a Green Mamba in the Bluff, Durban, is recovering. People on social media had first told him the snake was harmless, IOL reported.
Snake expert Jason Arnold told IOL the man had been seen walking around the area after the bite. He said the man appeared to have received only a very mild dose of venom.
“He is fine, miraculously. Obviously received a very mild envenomation. He didn’t even go to hospital, as we urged him to do,” Arnold told IOL.
The bite came to light when a post was shared on a community Facebook group. The post asked for help to identify the snake, which had been killed after the bite.
The post was made by John Henry Swanepoel. Arnold said several people who commented wrongly said the snake was a green spotted bush snake, which is not dangerous.
Arnold said he knew at once that it was a Green Mamba. He said he urged the bitten man to get medical help.
“I immediately commented and informed the man that I am a snake expert and that the snake posted by him is actually a highly venomous Green Mamba and the bitten person has to get to the hospital immediately,” he said.
Arnold then got hold of Swanepoel and told him what kind of snake it was. Swanepoel told IOL the bite happened on his property.
“I was called by the doctor in the main upstairs house and told they had killed a snake at the front door,” he said.
Swanepoel said he was worried because a family with two children and a newborn baby lives on the property. He said he saw two puncture marks on the man’s arm.
“I am 71 and have limited knowledge of snakes. I posted on a WhatsApp group and then the Facebook group asking if the snake was venomous. Several replies all said harmless and I relayed this to him,” he said.
Swanepoel said the man told him he felt a bit warm. He said he thought this was because the man had been busy and stressed. The man said he had used long sticks to move the snake.
After Arnold warned him, Swanepoel said he rode around looking for the man but could not find him. He said local private security companies later found the man.
“I was told that he had only vomited. He was told to stay at the emergency room for the night as the snake was still young and the punctures were not deep,” Swanepoel said.
Swanepoel said he was relieved the man was okay. He criticised people who gave wrong advice online.
“I don’t know why people give info that is suspect when I specifically mentioned he had been bitten. Life and death. If you don’t know, don’t comment,” he said.
Swanepoel said the post also had a good result. He said the man’s family saw it and said he had been gone for three years. They were looking to bring him home, he said.
Arnold urged people to contact snake experts instead of asking neighbourhood watch, security or Facebook groups to identify snakes.
“This can have dire consequences. Do not offer advice or identify snakes unless you are vastly knowledgeable and are 100% certain,” Arnold said.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL. Image: IOL. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice News desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Kgomotso Maake covers news and politics for Tzaneen Voice. Kgomotso reports on government, Parliament, municipalities, courts, crime and service delivery across South Africa, with a close eye on how national decisions reach towns like Tzaneen and the wider Limpopo province. Stories are written in plain English and focus on the facts: who made the decision, what it means, and what happens next.