SIMON: Got a call out to a shack where
a family with four children has been sharing a small room
with a huge black mamba.
Mambas in confined spaces are a death trap.
And it gets a whole lot worse when you
can't see what you're doing.
[dog barks]
OK, so we arrive.
The lady quickly takes us around the back to some outbuildings.
And she says, in there.
You see it, yeah?
Where is it?
OK.
We'll just jump in there.
Let me look. - It's dark.
Ooh, OK, very dark.
Is there any lights?
Have you got any lights?
Yeah, rather don't go in there unless we--
So you come out.
In another [inaudible] not moved.
Now someone's watching. Are you in there?
I say there's someone else in there.
Have you got any lights?
It's pitch dark in here.
How did they even see the mamba?
OK, right-- so it's going to be quite tight in there.
Is there light?
OK, best thing to do-- if you come out--
Oh, he has your light on it.
[inaudible]?
I get a glimpse of it.
[snake hisses]
Black mamba looking straight at me.
It'll be OK.
Bless you.
This lady is actually quite brave.
She sat there waiting for us until we
got there, shining a cell phone torch on the black mamba.
I don't think she actually knows what that snake is.
Now, this is great for us so we can see where the snake is.
But she has put herself in some serious danger.
SIMON: This black mamba is trapped and nervous.
It will strike repeatedly given the chance.
Its fast acting venom can kill a grown man in 20 minutes.
A bite like that to a child is almost certain death.
- I know-- - It's going already.
I don't know where it's going.
I can't see.
Where is it? I don't [inaudible].
Where is it?
In that corner it was.
But I just heard it move.
Oh, shoot.
Where is it going?
It's going down the back there.
Wait.
That thing's going to go.
SIOUXIE: Can you see it? - You have two seconds.
Yes, right there.
Problem is I don't know where his head is.
[inaudible]
If I start moving stuff, he's going to go.
So there's not room for both of us.
Do you want me to deal with it, and you just hold the torch?
I'll keep that [inaudible].
It's not very good position at all.
Well, the head's coming up, actually.
Oh, his head's up there.
Yeah.
OK.
Slowly.
It's real pity is there.
Because I can't actually--
can't actually get the tongs in on it at all.
I'll try and go between his gap.
That's not really going to help too much.
If I start moving things around, this thing's going to go.
Introduce so slowly.
If this mamba goes on the move, we're all in the way,
so we're all in trouble.
Hey, don't start banging the doors there, guys.
This snake is in a really crap position.
I can't get any tongs in there or nothing.
All right, you stay there.
Trying to move these golf clubs out of the way.
Sometimes I get in some right tight positions,
and you can't get in there.
Stay there.
Thanks.
This snake can easily lunge at me, biting me twice
before I can even move my hand.
I'll feel the effects of the neurotoxic venom
almost immediately.
Without treatment, my lungs will collapse
and my heart will stop.
And if I die, who's going to catch this massive mamba?
He probably knows an escape route better than we do.
I'm worried if I mess up, but don't get it the first time,
it's going to disappear into this hut
or outside of this hut.
And then we've lost it.
And there's a good chance this snake might come
back, because they're habitual.
They come back to the same place.
This mamba may have been living with this family for weeks.
It's a miracle nobody's been bitten.
SIOUXIE: To the left of that beam is snake as well.
I can't move. I can't move.
I know you can't. I'm just telling you.
He's both sides.
Yeah, I think I'm going to just try and get the tongs on it
and then all hell is going to break loose.
OK, here goes.
[inaudible]
OK, now, here we go.
I don't know where I've got it or anything.
As I get tongs on it, more and more snake
bulges out of the dark.
And I'm thinking this thing is long.
It can easily nail me.
Where's his head?
Keep that torch on me, Sioux.
I don't fancy getting bitten.
What have you got?
Is that his tail?
Or is that-- oh.
Yeah, that is quite low down, eh?
The bloody paper out the way.
OK, I got it inside now.
We're a bit better now.
Got it in the tongs.
But now I've gotta get my hands on it.
And I can't see a thing.
The worst place to work in.
Try and get it to come this way. You back up.
Back up.
SIOUXIE: Do you want the light or not?
Yeah, just keep it there. I can't--
SIOUXIE: I can't do both.
[inaudible] Yeah, that's it.
Get a tongue on it, see?
Any way you can.
Got it? SIOUXIE: I'm upside down.
The snake's upside down. - All right, just hold it there.
Yeah, the snake is upside down.
Just hold it. Just hold it.
I've got to go around here.
Don't bite me.
OK, now let's stop it like that.
Let go, because you twisted it.
That's it. - I know.
I said he was [inaudible].
Then go again.
SIOUXIE: All right, I have to go below you now.
Well, you-- oh, you're going to go catch it.
No, I can't. I'm upside down.
- You're not now. - No, but our tongs are twisted.
Just stay there.
SIMON: We're way too close to the snake for my liking.
All right, now's me chance.
All right, snake, do it.
OK. I got it.
I got it. SIOUXIE: You got it?
- Yeah. - [inaudible] got him.
We're going to have to try and get some [inaudible]..
- [inaudible] - Right.
Stay there and let me go past.
I've got it.
I think-- should we just bag it here?
SIOUXIE: No, I think we need to go outside.
It's dark, isn't it?
Let's do it out there. I've got it.
Yeah, yeah.
[snake hisses]
OK.
OK, I've got your snake.
[inaudible] It's OK. I've got it.
It's OK.
SIOUXIE: We can't get you now, so come around.
No, come here. Come close.
No, don't touch the snake.
But come close.
Do you know what this is?
SIMON: Black mamba.
This will be about a year old, this particular one.
They grow very, very fast.
So it's because of all this stuff around here,
you're getting snakes.
You've got chickens here, and your animals, dogs, and mice,
and rats will be here.
That's what it's come after.
Anyway, we'll take it away for you.
But you did the right thing not to interfere with it.
Because it's a very dangerous snake.
It was you when we turned out watching it.
You did a brilliant job with your torch watching it.
That's a really brave thing to do.
So well done.
Made our job easy.
Be careful there.
SIMON: Yeah, never try and mess with it.
At least you can sleep tonight. All right.
I'm just going to get it like this a little bit.
OK, that's a bit better.
It's twisting around like a mad thing here.
Trying to get away.
I'm just going to be careful there.
Don't slip.
Don't slip, OK?
It's all right, snake.
You're going to be in the bag in a minute.
OK.
His tail slipped out of my hand.
I've only got his head.
OK?
All right, don't go near the bag.
SIMON: So it's a very dangerous snake.
SIOUXIE: She's really worried.
I'm just so pleased we've got it.
That was seriously an accident waiting to happen.
