Outpouring of sympathy for snake in 'terrible' dashcam video
Video showing a young snake wrapped around a car aerial while a driver soars down a two-lane road overtaking another vehicle has left wildlife lovers outraged.
Uploaded to Dash Cam Owners Australia’s YouTube page, the snake can be seen spinning its head in circles and banging its head against the bonnet.
After 45 seconds of trauma, the snake is blown off the aerial and hits the windscreen with a tiny thud.
In comments posted underneath the video, many social media users questioned why the motorist did not pull over.
“I smiled a bit at the start, but assumed the driver was slowing to pull over. By the end of the clip I was mad,” one person wrote.
“I don’t know why they couldn't just pull over and let the poor snake off!” someone else wrote.
Melbourne Zoo reptile expert Alex Mitchell speculated the snake was likely inside the car bonnet and later became trapped around the aerial due to the speed the car was travelling in.
"My advice would be the same as for any animal that is trapped in this situation – once you become aware, pull over and allow the wildlife to move away," he said.
"The snake would potentially be badly injured."
Snake catcher furious after watching video
After watching the vision, Snakes in the City rescuer Harley Jones was dumbfounded the motorist did not stop or attempt to help the reptile.
Identifying the creature as possibly a non-venomous young tree snake, Mr Jones said it would have posed no harm to humans.
“Their teeth are so small they can’t really even pierce skin,” he said.
After hitting the windscreen, Mr Jones believes the snake likely took hours to die by the side of the road.
He compares what the snake went through to a person flailing in the wind, hanging out of a 747 at high speed.
“Seeing the trauma, the way it’s going around and then just getting smashed is just terrible,” he said.
“It’s such a cruel thing to happen to an animal. Snakes take a long time to die when they’re injured.
“Even when people cut them in half they take hours to die.”
It remains unclear whether the motorist was aware the snake was attached to their car. Attempts have been made via Dash Cam Owners Australia to contact them.
Snakes flee into cars after being frightened
Mr Jones said it’s common for snakes to slither into the bonnets of cars, but more often than not, it’s driven there out of fear.
This occurs when people “freak out” when they see the snake and surround it, leaving it nowhere to go but underneath the vehicle.
“They’re forcing the snake to go where they don’t want it to go,” he said.
“The snake is looking for somewhere to get out of the way — it doesn’t want to be around people.”
Mr Jones advises people who see a snake near their car to stay away from it to allow the snake to move on.
Once they’re in the car it can be difficult to get them out and it’s best to call a professional.
The alternative is to leave the car parked on grass for 24 hours and the snake will likely leave once it feels safe.
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