Cairns.com.au - Snake's wallaby meal

Snake's wallaby meal

Friday, February 29, 2008

WARNING! GRAPHIC IMAGES & VIDEO: Darren Cleland could not believe his eyes when he saw this monster python on the banks of the Barron River west of Cairns.

The former Cairns councillor was at his rural property at Bilwon last month when he heard a neighbour's dog barking and rushed down to the water's edge to find the snake devouring a full-size wallaby with a joey in its pouch.

He estimated the python was at least 5m long.

"We were more amazed than anything that a python could get its mouth around an animal of that size," he told The Cairns Post last night.

"We've seen a few snakes but never anything this big."

Mr Cleland said the experience was a good lesson for his children to be wary of all snakes.

"We figured if it could eat the wallaby, it could easily eat our five-year-old."

Mr Cleland sent the images to The Cairns Post after it yesterday revealed how a 5m python swallowed the Peric family's pet dog on Monday night.

Daniel Peric said he now would not leave his two children, aged five and seven, alone in any part of their Kuranda house.

The python was removed from the Peric's home by Australian Venom Zoo owner Stuart Douglas.

It will be released back into the wild away from humans and roads in the next few days, after being checked by a reptile specialist and officers from Queensland Parks and Wildlife.

In the meantime the python, named Fluffy because of its appetite for furry animals, is curled up in a special room at the Venom Zoo while it digests its prey.

Mr Douglas said scrub pythons grew up to 8m in length and there was documentary evidence they could break a man’s arm or strangle an adult to death.

The Cairns Post had a huge response to yesterday’s story, with more than 20,000 page views of the article at www.cairns.com.au.

had a huge response to yesterday’s story, with more than 20,000 page views of the article at www.cairns.com.au.

More than 6000 people have already viewed our python picture gallery on the site.

Click here to see our snake picture gallery

<strong>Tasty treat:</strong> This awesome photograph of a 5m python dislocating its jaw to swallow a wallaby and joy, was snapped recently. Picture: DARREN CLELAND

Tasty treat: This awesome photograph of a 5m python dislocating its jaw to swallow a wallaby and joy, was snapped recently. Picture: DARREN CLELAND

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