The Ferocious Snake Weasel
Reading edition
From South Africa comes a report from Dr. Raymond B. Cowles of a fight between a deadly reptile and a little known mammal, the inyengelizi, or snake weasel.
The habitat of the snake weasel, unknown in any zoo, is the Umzumbe Valley in Natal Province, where it is one of the rarest of carnivores. Natives either refuse to bring in inyengelizis or demand exorbitant prices for their skins. All parts of the body are used in the native pharmacopoeia and elders wear a narrow strip of the fur to ward off evil and bring good luck.
Little is known concerning the habits of the animal except that it apparently frequents burrows of subterranean animals in gardens, sometimes is ploughed up, and will attack and kill large snakes.
A reliable Zulu described to Dr. Cowles a fight between one of them and a deadly mamba about seven feet long. He said he had been watching the snake, basking in the sun in a coiled position. After a few moments a movement in the bushes caught his attention and he saw an inyengelizi cautiously stealing towards the snake. When within a foot or two the animal suddenly leaped upon the reptile and fastened its teeth just behind the head where it clung during the ensuing wild struggle. After a few minutes it succeeded in killing the snake, whereupon it relinquished its hold, performed its toilet, and left without eating any of its prey.