A bad day for laundry

C/P Zululand Observer. If you want the pic visit Zululand Observer - A turn for the worse for washing machine mamba


A Zululand family were in a spin this week after finding a large black mamba curled up in their washing machine. And Margie Taylor and her son Andrew had to resort to desperate measures to remove the highly venomous snake from their top-loader on Tuesday afternoon. The family live on a property aptly named 'Inyoka' or 'snake farm', about 14km from Empangeni. Taylor fortunately spotted the snake through the clear lid, wrapped around the top of the drum, before she opened the machine.

'We had no idea how it got into the washing machine as we have fine chicken wire on the bottom of the machine to prevent rats from eating the wires. The domestic worker had done a load of washing in the morning and closed the top of the machine', she said. After attempting to get hold of her husband David and a local snake catcher, Taylor made a plan. 'I put the machine on spin dry and waited. There was a lot of banging and clonking, but when the machine stopped we opened the lid with trepidation.'

'The snake was now suspended over the detergent container, looking dazed and confused, but still alive,' said Taylor. By then David was home and the Taylor family carefully unplugged the washing machine and dragged it outside. 'We flicked the lid open, but nothing happened. Usually mambas move really fast, but the snake was obviously stunned,' said Taylor. David then used a wire coathanger to hook the snake out of the machine and Andrew shot it.

Just one more reason to look in before you enter any space in Africa.

That is not a happy snake. Glad it had a clear lid..

Anyone running out to change the washer lid tonight?!!

Used the spin cycle for awhile on him....good thinking! Just got back from my 2nd night of scorpion hunting and read this. Makes my problems with venomous creatures seem petty.

This would bring a new meaning to, "Cleaning out the shorts"! I have seen only one snake in my three trips to Africa. __________________________________________________ ________________________________________________

"A Dream can be relived, again and again in Africa".

Originally Posted by PHOENIX PHIL

Used the spin cycle for awhile on him....good thinking! Just got back from my 2nd night of scorpion hunting and read this. Makes my problems with venomous creatures seem petty.

phil what calibre and type of rifle do you use for scorpion hunting?

Be thankful, I got nailed by a Moz cobra in my bed at Harloo. Crossed paths with a mamba a month ago on a buff hunt.

Originally Posted by RogerHeintzman

This would bring a new meaning to, "Cleaning out the shorts"! I have seen only one snake in my three trips to Africa. __________________________________________________ ________________________________________________

"A Dream can be relived, again and again in Africa".

Another good reason to hunt June and July in Africa few or no snakes.

Okay, this is the very first story on AH that I can say just totally creeped me out

changing locations, if that had been a rattlesnake at the ranch we would have been in the market for a new washer because I would have shot that thing with everything I could get my hands on and had ammo for!

The people of Southern Africa are way too subtle about things like this for my taste!

The Spin Cycle!. . . . that was the fall back position? . . . . these people are certifiable

in my world situations like this call for a stun grenade and an MP-5 . . . . not "the spin cycle"

Marge Taylor has more nerve than a 17 year old ZETA with a new Kalashnikov