It was tangled in an old crayfish net, and stuck under a duffel bag that must've fallen as it was trying to free itself. Normally I have a healthy aversion to snake encounters, but I thought of all the times Rattly's helped me out of a tough spot, and I decided to return the favour...
After putting a cloth bag over my hand as a makeshift glove, I took hold of the snake just behind its head (that took some psyching up!), and worked on freeing its tail from some miscellaneous bits and pieces it was clinging to. I then carried the snake and net up to the house where I unwittingly scared the living daylights out of my parents.
While my mother called various 'snake removal' and 'poisons advisory' services, I spent around half an hour carefully cutting the netting from around the snake (it was really tight in some places)... during which time I somehow managed to put on gloves (better late than never I guess). My folks and I then drove to a remote spot on the property and let our new friend slither off into the bushland — happy and free once more.
I must say, that 'little guy' was bigger than he first looked (and it turns out, that he was in fact an eastern brown snake, which is apparently the second most venomous land snake — certainly capable of delivering a lethal bite). I probably should have been wearing gloves from the get-go...
So, that's my 'risky rescue' story from the weekend...
Have you ever put yourself in harm's way to help someone or something?
My dad called the game commission and they caught the mother and TWO cubs to relocate them to a more remote area... one of the cubs must still be around. They were old enough to probably be able to live without their mother.
