There was commotion among patients and workers at Mvuma District Hospital in Zimbabwe’s Midlands province after they received an unexpected visitor, a big black mamba snake.
The reptile was spotted nearby the female ward headed for the theater in the afternoon.
The snake had not attacked anyone.
The snake was spotted barely days after a crocodile was also seen crawling through a corridor before resting in a storm drain at Chiredzi District Hospital in Masvingo province.
According to local reports, a general hand worker at Mvuma District Hospital took a chance and struck it once in the head, killing the highly dreaded snake instantly.
It is believed that the snake strayed from nearby bushes.
ZimParks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo said such situations are rife in dirty surroundings.
“No snake will creep into a clean environment. We actually urge the general populace to keep their surroundings clean by practicing good waste management and cutting grass around their environs.
“If there is no hideout or food, you will barely see a snake. It is also advisable to make use of snake repellents or even consult on acknowledged indigenous remedies to keep such reptiles away from such institutions and home environments,” Farawo said.
Farawo also discouraged the general populace from confronting such highly poisonous snakes.
The black mamba is a species of highly venomous snake. It is native to parts of sub-Saharan Africa. First formally described by Albert Günther in 1864, it is the second-longest venomous snake after the king cobra and mature specimens generally exceed 2 m and commonly grow to 3 m.
They are also among the fastest snakes in the world, slithering at speeds of up to 20km per hour.
