Man wrestles 5m python in chicken pen
A BURLY bloke who wrestled a 5m python after it ate one of his chickens has handed it to authorities in a bin after winning the fight.
The Kuranda resident was stunned to find the scrub python in his chicken pen last Friday, its belly bloated after eating one of his prized egg producers.
The man latched on to the 28kg python and subdued it, putting it in a bin and taking it to the Australian Venom Zoo at Kuranda.
Zoo owner Stuart Douglas said the citizen’s arrest was made by a "very strong bloke" who should be hailed a hero for his snake-seizing efforts.
"It’s a big male snake that could easily eat a wallaby or something seven times the size of its mouth," Mr Douglas said.
"It’s always better to get a snake removed professionally but it also depends on how capable the person is. The guy did really well in my opinion."
Mr Douglas warned the public to brace for more snake sightings as the reptiles head into their active season.
"As it gets warmer, snakes will start to move around more and head to residential properties, so people have to be aware," he said.
The man who wrestled the python could not be contacted but he is believed to be an environmentalist.
The python will be released this week somewhere near Kuranda.
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More Cairns snake tales:
- Sexy snakes slip into suburbs
- Snake bites man's penis
- Python fancies pet snack
- Spider eats snake
- Snake eats wallaby
- Snake eats dog
- Snake eats cockatoo
- Tourists hide snake in tent
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Hard to handle: Aaron Chapman, of Australia Venom Zoo, gets up close with the 5m scrub python. Picture: MARC McCORMACK
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