THE LAST VOICEMAIL: Husband left farewell message for wife as he lay dying after snakebite
FORT WILLIAM, SCOTLAND: A heartbroken widow described how her husband died in pain from a snakebite in Africa just before they were to begin a new life in Scotland. Sebastian Wicker, 40, was on safari when he was attacked by a poisonous snake. He worked as a property manager in Mozambique. Sebastian, his wife Amanda, 30, and their toddler son Oskar were planning to relocate to Amanda's hometown of Fort William in the coming months.
In Mozambique's vast Zambezi Delta, the estate manager was in charge of overseeing a 650,000-hectare region that included buffalo, rhinos, lions, and leopards. He died six hours after being bitten by a poisonous snake assumed to be a forest cobra or a black mamba, both of which are prevalent in Africa. Amanda has now revealed how, before his tragic demise, he left her a sad message. She told The Daily Record, "In the message after the snake bite you can hear that he is losing consciousness."
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Our heartfelt condolences to Sebastian Wicker's family!!!
— Moçambique Bio (@MocambiqueBio) September 14, 2022
Sebastian Wicker was the manager of Coutada 14 in the Marromeu Complex, the eldest son of Tony Wicker. He died, September 12 2022, arround 11 am, victim of a bite, which is presumed to be from a mamba shakes. pic.twitter.com/6fFuSTnTWD
She added, "I sent him a message back but he didn't open it. One of his work colleagues phoned me in tears to tell me he had died. Then I just burst out crying. It is still such a shock. Sebastian had been attacked by buffalo in the past but a snake attack like this is almost unheard of. It is the first thing such a thing has happened out here in 30 years. The odds of being attacked by a snake are so slim."
Sebastian was bitten and given anti-venom before being taken 45 minutes away to Marromeu Hospital. But when they arrived, there was no more anti-venom, so he was flown to Beira Private Hospital by helicopter. But by the time he arrived, it was too late.
Amanda explained, "He had a very painful death and had to be given morphine. He was vomiting severely and struggling to breathe at the end. His tongue was swollen and it was a horrible way to die. I can't imagine how he must have been suffering. It hurts to think about it even now."
In 2012, the pair first connected while she was working with Sebastian and his family in South Africa. Oskar was born in November 2020. Since Sebastian's death became known, the Wicker family has been the target of internet hatred and death threats due to his safari employment, which includes the shooting of nearby buffalo. Amanda, however, claimed that all proceeds from the safari shooting expeditions go toward poaching prevention and conservation. Amanda intends to lay his ashes at Glencoe in Scotland.