Python lashes out at snake catcher trying to remove it from hiding spot
A Queensland snake catcher has had a nasty run-in with a cranky carpet python leaving him with a bloodied, punctured hand.
Steve Brown from Brisbane North Snake Catchers and Relocation arrived at the home in Draper at about 8.30pm on Sunday and went around to the back deck where the reptile had taken up refuge under a fridge.
He moved the appliance and went to pick it up gently, but quickly the snake catcher found out it was not as pleasant as most other pythons he has encountered.
“As soon as I went to touch it it turned and grabbed my fingers,” Mr Brown told Yahoo7.
While this particular python tried to bite Mr Brown multiple times, it only latched onto him once.
The snake catcher could hear the teeth puncturing his skin, while trying to move his hand out of the way due to natural reaction.
“They’ve got over a hundred teeth and can pack a bit of a punch,” he said.
The snake catcher was left with close to 30 tiny puncture wounds.
Mr Brown said he is not sure why this python, which he believed was about three or four years old, acted the way it did.
He said normally when a snake behaves like this it is possible they have been harassed or there is a food source nearby, but he does not believe either of those things were a factor in this instance.
“He was having a bad day or that’s just its nature,” Mr Brown said.
“There were no injuries to the snake,” he added.
“They (the family) didn’t go outside or go near it or anything, just watched it from inside the doors.”
Following the incident the young children at the home went to the snake catcher’s aid, and gave him some bandaids.
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Mr Brown said most carpet pythons are nice if shown respect.
“They don’t go out of their way to hurt you… and are harmless if left alone,” he said.
And while snakes can be unpredictable, the catcher added he would have taken more care with a venomous visitor.
“A totally different technique of handling would have been used if it was a venomous,” he said.
