Imagine hearing an unusual noise while locking up your house at night, only to find a massive 26kg python trying to crawl into your roof.
That’s exactly what happened to an Aussie dad in Queensland this week.
The startled homeowner described the python as “like a dinosaur” when he called Jay Everdeen from Close Encounters Reptile Removal for help.
A Routine Call-Out Turns into a Wild Adventure
Jay arrived at the property in Mareeba, outside of Cairns, to find the enormous 5.2-meter-long scrub python tightly coiled around a downpipe.
The snake catcher was stunned, describing the python as “thicker than a two-litre Coke bottle” and appearing to try to climb into the roof.
“When I saw him, I was like, ‘oh geez, this is big’,” Jay recalled. “When I had hold of him, my fingertips didn’t touch.”
Huge Python Clinging to Home Refuses to Budge for an Hour
Jay and his 12-year-old daughter worked for an hour to unwrap the non-venomous python from the pipe. The snake was so strong that Jay wondered if he’d be able to remove it at all.
“He wrapped half of his body around one way and the other half the other way, so it’s like a U shape. So when you’re pulling one way, the other part of the body’s coming around with it,” Jay explained.
A Show and Tell with Neighbors Before Relocation
After much perseverance, Jay was able to place the scrub python into a bag, but it was too large to move. The next day, Jay and his children showed their neighbor’s kids the sheer size of the animal before relocating it.
“A good snake is a beautiful snake to see in the wild,” Jay said. While the python’s hefty weight was impressive, Jay believes there are undoubtedly “bigger ones” lingering in mountain scrub or near rivers.
“There’s some big ones out there, and people just haven’t come across them.”