WATCH: Woman wakes up to find a black mamba by her bed

A Durban woman's afternoon nap was rudely interrupted when she discovered a black mamba next to her bed.

Nick Evans of the KwaZulu-Natal Amphibian and Reptile Conservation organisation was called out to deal with the unwelcome intruder at the house in Dawncliff, Westville.

In a post on Facebook, Evans described how he arrived to find the elderly woman and her sister at the front door.

"The caller explained that she had just woken up from a nap, when she heard something moving next to her bed. That's when she spotted this large black mamba right next to her bed. Feeling terrified, and wanting to get out the room to call for help, she used her duvet as a shield, and walked past the mamba," Evans said.

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Evans discovered the mamba hiding in the cupboard in the bedroom.

"I opened up carefully, and I could see a portion of the body on top of a box. I stuck my head closer, when I suddenly got a bad feeling. Then in the corner of my eye, I noticed it's head sticking out of the clothes, within striking range of my head," he said.

Evans slowly withdrew and watched as the snake moved around the cupboard, trying to move up the sleeves of the hanging clothes as it tried to find a place to hide.

Using his tongs, Evans grabbed it firmly but gently a foot behind the head.

"It didn't like that one bit! It leaped into action, trying to pull away, and I had to let go so that I didn't hurt it. As it turned it's head the other way, I grabbed it again. It quickly started reversing, and when I had it safely in the tongs, I quickly grabbed hold of it behind the head with my hands," he said

Evans described it as one of his most memorable catches, while assuring Westville residents not to be afraid. "Don't know live in fear of a mamba in your cupboard. Unlike criminals, mambas are scared of you and prefer to be left alone."