- [Tyrone] We've got a snake!
- [Crew Member 1] Snake? Where?
- [Tyrone] Yeah, we got a snake.
It's a mamba, we got a black mamba.
- [Crew Member 1] Snake!
- Is it the mamba?
- Let me know as soon as you're comfortable.
- No, I'm not comfortable yet.
I'm gonna move him up further.
- Yeah, you wanna secure the tail there.
- There it is, the notorious black mamba,
the most dangerous snake species
I have ever physically interacted with.
(dirt crackles)
It is early morning,
and it is very similar
to the conditions we had the other day
when we visited this mechanic's property,
and unfortunately came across a dead black mamba.
We've gotten a call he's seen another mamba.
So we are in fast pursuit
to get out to this property as fast as we can
so that the snake doesn't either A, kill another dog,
or get killed itself.
Black mambas get a bad reputation
as a snake species that will actually chase after you.
That is never going to be the case with any animal.
They're always gonna choose flight before fight.
But most importantly, we need to keep ourselves safe,
because a bite from one of these animals
is a medical emergency.
- Nothing comes close to the black mamba
just due to its size,
and just the immense speed of these snakes.
So yeah, we are gonna try to avoid as much as possible
having this human-mamba conflict,
especially with the guys, dogs, and cats,
so we're gonna try to get rid of this mamba
and relocate it.
- So right now, Tyrone is just flipping every piece
of flat material
that he can find anywhere this time of day
that would be perfect for snakes to be hiding.
Creepy, abandoned building,
nest full of wasps.
We're gonna keep moving.
- This is probably a needle on a haystack.
Look at this,
especially a snake that's gray-ish black in color.
Talk about crazy camo.
If there was a mamba in here,
- [Coyote] Well, get on in there.
Let's find that snake.
Well, we've been searching
for about 25 minutes, now.
I have not seen any snakes.
Seen a lot of other things,
and it's usually when you're looking
for a snake that you don't find a snake.
They always surprise you.
Ooh, that is creepy.
Oh, it's like a rodent super-highway back there.
I dunno if you can see that.
- [Tyrone] We've got a snake!
- [Crew Member 1] A Snake? Where?
- [Tyrone] Yeah, we got a snake.
- [Coyote] Is it a mamba?
- It's a mamba, we've got a black mamba.
He's just under this little piece of tile.
- [Crew Member 1] Snake!
- [Crew Member 2] Hey, they've got a snake.
- [Coyote] What?
- [Crew Member 2] They got a snake.
- [Tyrone] Coyote!
- You got a snake?
(feet shuffle)
(dramatic music)
Is it the mamba?
- [Crew Member 1] We think it's the mamba, man.
- Really, really, really?
Where? Oh man, in here?
(indistinct)
You saw it?
- [Tyrone] Yeah, he's under there.
He's looks like a pretty big mamba.
- [Coyote] It is a mamba.
- [Tyrone] It's definitely a mamba.
- Shoot, I hope there's no hole back there.
I don't see anything.
Yes I do.
I see a snake.
Definitely see a snake back there.
Ohh, yes! - Yeah.
- [Coyote] Dude, I think it's a mamba.
It's grayish in color. - We got it.
- [Coyote] All right, mamba madness
at its finest, right here.
[Tyrone] That's a mamba.
- That is definitely a mamba.
Tyrone, what is the play?
- Cool. So we're gonna just move some of the stuff
that's sitting on top here,
I'm gonna get a tong on the snake.
We're gonna get sort of
about 50, 60 centimeters behind the head.
And then we're gonna try to get another tong
on the snake just to secure it to the snake
start wiggling around,
doesn't put any of us in danger.
- Okay.
- Yeah, so we're just gonna safely secure the snake.
and we're gonna go from there.
We're just gonna have to be really agile,
these snakes are really unpredictable, super defensive,
so we just gotta be on high alert,
'cause this is top-tier,
the most dangerous thing in the country here.
- Okay, this is the worst-case scenario
because it's pinned into a corner.
- Yeah.
- The safest scenario for myself,
the crew, and certainly the snake,
is gonna be to get it inside one of these tubes,
so we have control of the head.
All right, I'm here on your command,
so you let me know what you need me to do.
- Cool, so you're just gonna get on right to it,
now we're gonna move some of this shrapnel out of the way.
(debris clatters)
Yeah, you can see the big coil of the snake
is right coming out the back, there.
(detritus crashes)
Got a big, big mamba.
- Oh man, yeah.
- Cool, we're going in hot.
- You want me to lift it?
Lift it?
- Lift it.
Yeah, we got a black mamba.
- [Coyote] Okay. Oh, geez.
- [Tyrone] Okay, I'm gonna grab it,
tongs on the snake.
You can see he's puffing up his neck there, slightly.
It's a little narrow hood.
One tong is secure.
We're gonna grab the secondary part of the snake here.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa.
- Cool, the snake is secure.
I'm coming out in the open area here.
- Wow! - Cool.
- That is a big snake.
Okay, so you want me to get the tubes?
- Yeah, let's get the tubes, Coyote.
- Okay, ah, what do you think?
Largest tube?
- Yeah, let's go with the largest tube.
We're just gently restraining the snake.
We don't wanna put too much pressure on him.
(dramatic music)
Get his head in there.
Okay, he's going, he's going.
Let him go, let him go a little bit more.
I'm gonna,
he's gonna reverse.
'Kay, do you wanna grab it?
Are you comfortable grabbing, there?
Just put him all the way up there.
Let me know as soon as you're comfortable.
- Yeah, I got,
no, no, I'm not comfortable yet.
- Yeah, I've still got the tongs on him-
- Gonna move him up further. - You're safe.
- [Coyote] Okay.
- [Tyrone] I want you to just put that back hand,
so like, completely holding the tube
and that snake- - Yeah.
- [Tyrone] So he's not gonna reverse,
'cause he is gonna pull back.
- He is gonna pull back.
Okay, and you don't think he can get out from there?
- No. As long as you've got a good grip on him.
Tell me when you're comfortable,
and I'm gonna release the tongs.
- Okay, go ahead and release the tongs.
(exhales) This is a nerve-wracking moment.
- Okay, and just remember,
he may try to reverse.
So if he does, just hold him quiet in place there.
- Okay.
- [Tyrone] You got him.
- Okay.
Can I work him up a little bit further?
- [Tyrone] Yeah, you can work him up a little bit further.
(Coyote exhales) Good work.
- Oh, my hands are shaking at the moment.
Wow. That is a very strong snake.
Okay. Whoa, watch your face, there.
Sorry. There we have it.
That is a black mamba, safely tubed,
rather intense situation.
But that went pretty smoothly.
- [Tyrone] That's how we do it.
We work safely.
- (exhales) I gotta catch my breath for just a minute-
- Yeah. - My heart is racing.
Okay, so the snake is staying pretty calm.
Now, let's go out of this enclosure
and get ourselves in a spot
that's a little more open.
If for any reason I have to drop the snake
and it comes out of the tube.
We're in really close quarters.
So, let's slowly move out.
You guys move first,
I'm gonna take it really, really slow.
I got a really good, good grip.
Tyrone, you wanna check my grip on the snake?
You think that's-
- Yeah, we're good there. - It's solid.
- And let's just angle a little bit up-
- Okay. - Just in case he shoots up.
You got it.
Yeah, you got a good grip.
(Coyote huffs)
Yeah, you wanna secure the tail there,
and you're good, Coyote.
- Yeah. Man, this snake is insanely strong.
Whoa, man. It is intimidating to hold one of these snakes.
Right now, just trying to calm my heart rate.
(Coyote exhales)
There it is, the notorious black mamba.
It's almost tough to put into words
what it's like to hold onto a black mamba.
This is a species that I have just read about
for most of my life,
always hoping that I would see one in the wild
and now actually be hands-on with one,
the most dangerous snake species
I have ever physically interacted with,
it is definitely a heart-racing encounter.
Now the black mamba, of course,
gets its name from the black interior coloration
of the mouth.
And if I turn it like this and opens up its mouth,
we'll be able to get a really cool shot of that.
The reason a bite from this snake
is so potentially dangerous,
is because it is armed with a highly toxic,
neurotoxic venom.
If you're bitten by this snake,
it begins to send your body into paralysis,
which shuts down your major organs.
So in your lungs, your liver, your kidneys,
and ultimately your heart begin to cease working.
That's why a bite is so dangerous.
Essentially, you just straight up
go into paralysis and die.
If you are ever bitten by a snake like this,
it is an immediate medical emergency.
The big issue that we're looking at here today
is the human-wildlife conflict.
And people are terrified of the black mamba.
Obviously, it has a negative reputation,
but this is not a snake that is interested
in interacting with humans.
A dog was bitten.
Unfortunately, that dog passed away
and the snake was killed in the process.
You have that constantly happening out here,
especially in rural areas.
But these snakes are not to blame.
We are in an area that is perfectly set up for snakes
to be hunting for their food.
You've got abandoned structures,
you've got bags of garbage
that has everything that would draw in rodents.
Where you have rodents,
you're going to have the reptiles that eat them.
So the more you can do in your own yard
to clean up the trash
and make sure that you're not drawing in the prey animals
for these snakes,
the less of your chance of actually seeing one
of these snakes,
and ultimately interacting with it.
So the last aspect to today's snake rescue
is to actually relocate this snake
to a place that's far away from human habitation.
That will give the better chances
for the snake to live out the length of its life,
and of course will keep the dogs
and the humans in this area completely safe.
Now is this the resident mamba that we were told about?
It's possible.
It is pretty sizable,
but when you live in an area like this,
there's always going to be another snake,
so you can see why the work that Tyrone does
is so incredibly important here in South Africa,
and a big thanks to him for taking us out
on this rescue mission.
I feel completely fulfilled
in that we have finally found one of these snakes
that we were able to rescue.
It didn't lose its life,
and we're doing a good thing for the environment
by getting this predator back out to where it belongs.
I'm Coyote Peterson.
Be brave,
stay wild.
We'll see on the next adventure.
Okay, we found a pretty cool spot to release the mamba.
We are way back off some dirt road
and we have found a beautiful dry river bed.
It is just perfect mamba habitat.
Grasses, trees, likely a lot of food.
So we're gonna get the snake out,
and this is another success story for Tyrone,
in successfully rescuing and relocating a venomous snake.
Hey, Coyote Pack!
If you're a fan of brave wilderness adventures,
then you'll really like
all of the incredible T-shirts, hoodies, hats
and other merch at shopbravewilderness.com.
Head over right now to gear up for your next adventure.
(wild animal growls)
(wild animal calls)