A startled man in his 80s urgently dialled Triple-0 after he was woken by a massive thud in his island home. Two fighting pythons weighing a combined 20kg had fallen from a cavity in the ceiling and onto his floor, and despite landing with a thud, neither showed any interest in backing down.
It’s thought the reptiles entered his home through a hole in the roof created six months ago when Category 2 Cyclone Alfred damaged his home on Russell Island, off the coast of Brisbane. But getting a tradesman to carry out the small job on his home had been a struggle, and it hadn’t caused any major issues until now.
Reptile rescuer Trish Harris arrived at his home on Tuesday night after a tip-off from emergency services. She found the man was standing outside, well away from the commotion in his kitchen.
“I came around the corner and two massive snakes were tangled and fighting it out,” she told Yahoo News Australia. You can watch the incredible video of what she saw below.
Related: Aussie woman captures heart-stopping snake battle on roof
How a small rescuer moved massive snakes outside
At just 155cm tall and weighing 56kg, Trish faced a conundrum of how to get the pythons outside. She estimates the larger one was longer than two metres and thicker than her leg.
When they finally separated, she could see both of the snakes were in good health and uninjured, but they showed no interest in leaving. When the weather heats up and mating season begins, it’s common to see male carpet pythons fighting as they try to assert dominance and gain access to females.
“They didn’t want to play ball. There was no chance in hell I was going to be able to successfully lift him if he decided to wrap around me,” Trish said.
“The floors were very smooth timber, so there was no issue of him getting hurt if I dragged him. So I just grabbed him by the back half and pulled him out.
“But he decided to try and latch onto everything he possibly could — door jams, bags, the rubbish bin, he sent things flying.”
Trish was able to manoeuvre both snakes back into nearby bush, away from the house and each other.
The snakes entered a Russell Island home that was built close to bushland. Source: Google Earth
What should I do if I see snakes fighting?
Because humans have built their homes on and around bushland where snakes live, it’s not uncommon to see them in suburbs. And when doors and windows are left open, they will sometimes slither inside to find refuge from the heat or dogs and cats, which will attack them.
All native snakes are protected in Australia and harming or killing them is an offence. And most bites occur when someone, usually a male, tries to move or attack them.
Unless the snakes are inside your home or in the path of danger, it’s recommended they be left alone. Anyone concerned about the welfare of a snake is urged to contact their local snake catcher or volunteer wildlife rescuer.
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