15 November 2013
Genevieve van Coller (16), renowned mountain biker from Vaalwater, recently had a terrible scare with a black mamba.
She and her dad, Allan, where cycling on their farm in the Melkrivier area close to Vaalwater when Genevieve suddenly felt a hard tug on her leg. She immediately slowed down to determine the cause. She saw two very distinct bite marks on her leg with blood flowing freely out of the wound. It looked like a snake bite, and was later determined to be the bite of a black mamba.
Genevieve's dad has had numerous training in First Aid and snake bites. He also keeps oxygen bottles handy for these types of situations as well as a radio to call for help, which he immediately did.
According to Van Coller his first reaction was to put a pressure bandage on the wound and to get Genevieve as still and comfortable as possible. A vehicle shortly arrived to pick them up and take them to a hospital.
Ive kept checking Genevieve for any signs of her breathing changing or her going into a coma, but luckily nothing happened, he said.
At the hospital it was determined that Genevieve had received a dry bite from the mamba, possibly aimed at scaring her away.
Ive have seen more than once that black mambas do not seem to feel the vibrations of a mountain bike.
If someone is cycling very fast, black mambas do not seem to have enough time to leave, and then feel obligated to stand their ground and strike at whoever comes into their territory, Van Coller said.
Van Coller says that while cycling, a cyclist must rather immediately stop when seeing a mamba in the road, and stamp their feet once or twice. The snake will take notice and remove itself from the area as fast as possible.
哲ever ride over a mamba; they can strike at an incredibly fast rate, lift their bodies two-thirds into the air and strike backwards at a vehicle, cyclist or person.
