Ivon Bake
MVUMA: There was commotion at Mvuma District Hospital yesterday after they received an unexpected visitor, a black mamba.
The reptile was spotted nearby the female ward headed for the theatre in the afternoon.
The snake measuring about three meters long had no attacked anyone.
Information gathered by CommuTalk show that a general hand worker took a chance and struck it once with a stone in the head, killing the highly dreaded snake.
It is believed that the snake strayed from nearby bushes.
Contacted for comment to establish whether it is normal for such reptiles to creep indoors, ZimParks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo said such situations are rife in dirty surroundings.
“No snake will creep into a clean environment. We actually urge the general populace to keep their surroundings clean by practicing good waste management and cutting grass around their environs.
“If there is no hideout or food, you will barely see a snake. It is also advisable to make use of snake repellents or even consult on acknowledged indigenous remedies to keep such reptiles away from such institutions and home environments,” Farawo said.
Farawoalso discouraged the general populace from confronting such highly poisonous snakes.
In a similar situation, a crocodile was recently spotted crawling through a corridor before resting in a strorm drain at Chiredzi District Hospital.
The black mamba is a species of highly venomous snake. It is native to parts of sub-Saharan Africa. First formally described by Albert Günther in 1864, it is the second-longest venomous snake after the king cobra and mature specimens generally exceed 2 m and commonly grow to 3 m.
They are also among the fastest snakes in the world, slithering at speeds of up to 20km per hour.
