Mamba kills British student

2008-03-13 10:20

Christel Raubenheimer

Nelspruit - The body of a young British man who was studying to become a game ranger near Hoedspruit and who would have celebrated his 29th birthday this week, was flown back to London on Tuesday after he died of a black-mamba bite.

Nathan Layton, 28, had not thought initially that the snake had managed to bite him.

According to a report in the British newspaper, The Times, staff were transferring the snake from one container to another so that students could examine it more easily.

Layton apparently had been waving his arms to encourage the snake to move faster when it bit him on the finger.

According to a statement from Bushwise, the snake bit Layton on March 4 at the South African Wildlife Campus where he was completing the Bushwise game-ranger training programme.

Bushwise personnel reacted immediately and called an ambulance when Nathan began showing symptoms of a snake bite.

"He was declared dead shortly after the ambulance arrived," according to a statement.

Bushwise said that no one, including Layton, had realised that he had been bitten.

Paramedics were called only after he began feeling ill. He died shortly afterwards. His remains have been flown back to Britain.

Layton had been in South Africa since January.

Can grow to 3m

Chris de Beer, curator of the reptile park at the National Zoo in Pretoria, said black mambas became particularly nervous when trapped.

They usually slithered away when they became aware of a human presence.

De Beer said black mambas were among the most-dangerous snakes in South Africa and could grow to 3m.

They were found most commonly in the warmer parts of the country and could bite within a split second.

De Beer said the inside of the snake's mouth was black and the reptile would pull its neck flat if it felt threatened.

The snake that bit Layton was removed afterwards and set free in a safe place.

- Beeld