Capturing a black mamba is a dangerous job.
Most humans do not like snakes. It is something that was probably baked into our DNA thousands of years ago to keep us safe from the deadly venom some serpents carry. One of the most dangerous snakes on Earth is the black mamba. This snake can grow to jaw-dropping lengths of nearly 14 feet.
As if that size was not frightening enough, the venom of this animal is powerful enough to kill a full-grown man in only minutes in the right circumstances. When one of these snakes wanders into a populated area, the fear is real.
In this video, one of these dangerous reptiles has wandered into a drained pool where it is cornered. Two brave snake hunters are then called in to go into the pool to remove it.
While we have no issues with a non-venomous snake, this is not a job that we would ever want. One wrong move while trying to wrangle an animal like this could prove deadly. We imagine these snake handlers probably have a lot of job security because the list of people willing to take on this job is probably short.
Black mamba venom has neurotoxic properties. It causes nausea, sweating, blurred vision and motor and speech problems in some victims. The most frightening symptom is that it can cause breathing problems. This reptile's venom is so potent, some people have died even after receiving a dose of antivenin. There is a very good reason why this snake is one of the most feared on Earth!
Fortunately, bites are rare. Most happen when people are trying to capture or kill the snake. This sort of thing is best left to professionals like you saw here. We are just glad that the black mamba lives mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and not here in North America.
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
NEXT: THE AXIS DEER AND HOW THEY'RE IMPACTING PARTS OF THE UNITED STATES
WATCH
