British wildlife student dies in front of girlfriend minutes after being bitten by black mamba snake

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Nathan Layton, 27, was walking in long grass with a group of fellow students and teachers when the black mamba struck.

He was comatose almost immediately and died moments later as his girlfriend, 23-year-old Laura Woolley, looked on in horror.

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Nathan died in front of his girlfriend after being bitten by a black mamba while in South Africa

Nathan with his girlfriend of eight years, Laura

Mr Layton had just enrolled in a course to study wildlife - paid for by compensation he received after he was nearly killed in a car accident.

He had dreams of becoming a vet and working in the South African bush, inspired by the character Danny Trevanion (played by Stephen Tompkinson) in the ITV series Wild at Heart.

Mr Layton's parents Robert and Anne have arranged to have his body flown back to Britain. They declined to comment yesterday.

His aunt Jacqui Edwards, 46, said: "Within minutes he was dead. He was genuinely a loving, caring person with such a warm heart."

Miss Woolley, who lived with Mr Layton and had been his girlfriend since the age of 15, will fly home with his body.

Friends of Mr Layton left tributes on Facebook, the networking website, yesterday.

The black mamba snake has a deadly bite

The tribute page was headed: "Nathan Layton. Born 12-03-1979. Died: 4-03-2008. Died doing what he loved. We love you buddy. You'll never be forgotten."

A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We are aware of the death of a British national in South Africa and we are providing consular assistance."

The black mamba can reach up to 12ft in length and can travel at 12mph, making it one of the fastest snakes. Its poison is the second deadliest and acts by destroying nerves.

While there is an antidote to its venom, it must be applied immediately and is not widely available in the rural parts of Africa where the snake is most common.

The snakes, which are related to cobras, are called black mambas because when threatened, they display the black interior of their mouths.

They tend to live in hollow insect mounds, abandoned burrows and rock crevices.

Unlike most other snakes, they will strike repeatedly if cornered.