Hunt for runaway South African black mamba snake goes hi-tech The runaway black mamba snake is thought to hiding in a nearby roof where it may try to hibernate. The species is speedy and highly venomous. Pretoria zoo has resorted to using infrared cameras in the hunt for a 6.5ft snake that fled from its enclosure. The black mamba is believed to be hiding in the roof of a service building behind its terrarium, said Craig Allenby, who works at the zoo in the South African capital. However its lofty location has not stopped frightened callers to radio talk shows speculating over the nearly always fatal results of a bite from one of the world's fastest and most venomous snakes. Zookeepers realised last week that the mamba's enclosure was empty. They have been unable to search the roof where they suspect the animal is preparing to hibernate. The hi-tech cameras can be used detect infrared radiation emitted by bodies and objects - even cold-blooded reptiles.