On a recent safari to Africa, I hand-caught a
wild nine-foot Black Mamba. It was a calculated risk...involving
bad calculation.
The Mamba's head is coffin-shaped and the inside of his mouth
is an ominous black...he would raise up to near eye level, look
aggressively at us then loose his balance... and tip over...only
to raise up again..hissing. I thought that maybe he had gotten
hold of a bad mouse and was woozy.
I made a hasty and misguided decision to lay hands on the most
poisonous snake in the world. Most mamba bites are fatal. This
aggressive cobra has a nasty habit of biting it's victims 4 and
5 times in the face and neck.
The third time he raised up and tipped, I pinned his head, and
without a lot of thinking...(I bet that surprises you), I had
a very angry Black Mamba in my hand.
From the roof of his gaping open mouth I could see the curved
extended fangs. Dripping from those fangs was the deadliest venom
in the reptile kingdom... mamba venom is yellow. The slippery
venom ran out of the corner of his mouth and into my hand...
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