A reptile catcher who was called out to help paramedics with a possible snake bite was left stunned when faced with a Eastern Brown Snake that ended up in a place he “still can’t quite believe”.
Sharing the pictures and story to Facebook, Cory Kerewaro of Reptile Relocation Sydney detailed how he received an urgent call from NSW Ambulance for assistance removing a snake that had possibly bitten someone.
When they sent him a photo the reptile catcher “confirmed 100 per cent that it was an Eastern Brown Snake”, however he was left puzzled by the next picture.
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“What I saw next was something I still can’t quite believe,” he wrote.
The snake had slithered through the back loop on the victims shoe and was wedged in a situation that Kerewaro described the odds as “almost nil”.
The Brown Snake managed to get tangled up in the shoes loop. Credit: Facebook/Reptile Relocation SydneyThe Brown Snake managed to get tangled up in the shoes loop. Credit: Facebook/Reptile Relocation Sydney
The snake had tangled itself up in a bizarre circumstance, however the snake being in a precarious situation spelt trouble for patient.
“This lady was standing in the middle of the road on a 36–38C day, with an Eastern Brown Snake stuck in her shoe,” Kerewaro wrote.
“Brown snakes are highly reactive when stressed, and there was nowhere to take cover, nowhere to approach from safely, and no room for error.
“Any sudden movement could cause the snake to react. If it reacted, it could bite her.
“If it bit her, the consequences could be fatal.”
Faced with the daunting and delicate task, Kerewaro had no margin for error.
The Brown Snake managed to get tangled up in the shoes loop. Credit: Facebook/Reptile Relocation SydneyThe Brown Snake managed to get tangled up in the shoes loop. Credit: Facebook / Reptile Relocation Sydney/Reptile Relocation Sydney
Thanks to the heat beating down on the highly venomous snake, the experienced reptile relocater knew that the Brown Snake’s reactions would be off a beat.
“I carefully pinned the snake, and worked to free the lady from this terrifying situation,” he wrote.
“The snake was wedged so tightly that it couldn’t be moved forward or backward, the only option was to cut the heel loop open to release it.
Sacrificing the shoe to save the woman was decision that required little thinking, and once the reptile was free Kerewaro called the relief “overwhelming”.
