Aussie dad and son's ‘lucky’ escape after discovery on theme park ride
A New South Wales father and his young son have had a lucky escape after riding over a venomous snake on a bobsled ride at a theme park on Australia Day.
A day out at Jamberoo Action Park near Kiama took a turn on Thursday when the duo spotted the reptile on the slide.
“Jamberoo rides are more extreme than I remember,” the dad wrote online, sharing an image of their collision.
In a further video, the father and little boy can be seen together on the toboggan as they make their way down the hill. Five seconds in, a red bellied black snake can be seen on the track.
“I went over it slowly,” the man said, explaining that he and his son were the first ride of the day.
As the pair are seen gliding over the reptile, it disappears underneath them before they continue on their journey.
“I certainly hope it didn't hang on," the father said. “I was mainly concerned about getting the hell away from it. [I] let them [staff] know about it at the bottom. They promptly stopped anyone else getting on and hopefully moved the guy.”
‘Lucky it didn’t bite’
While described by The Australian Museum as "the least dangerous elapid snake in Australia", red bellied black snakes are one of the most frequently spotted snakes on the east coast and responsible for a number of bites each year.
Viewers online said the dad and son duo were fortunate to escape unscathed.
“Holy cow, [you] got lucky it didn’t bite!” one person wrote on Reddit. “Glad you didn’t get bitten,” said another.
“Omg it honestly looked fake at first glance, I would have shat bricks,” added someone else.
Others claimed that local reptiles were regulars at the theme park.
“This happens almost everyday, especially on the colder days that the toboggan is open,” one person said.
“Early morning rides are reserved for Aussie wildlife on Australia Day,” another added.
“Poor snake, it looks like it's enjoying itself, ” someone else said. “He woke up a lil late and was trying to sneak a ride before visitors arrived."
In a statement to Yahoo News Australia, General Manager of the Jamberoo Action Park Matt George said its team was able to safely move the uninvited guest along.
"Due to the natural environment that we operate in, sightings and dealing with fauna is a regular occurrence," they said. "In this instance, a number of our team are trained in snake handling procedures, and once reported were successful in isolating the area and safely relocating the snake before reopening the toboggan track.”
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