Cat Drops Venomous Snake Under Christmas Tree: ‘Quite Proud of Itself’
Christmas #Christmas
We all know what it’s like to receive an unwanted Christmas gift. But instead of ugly socks and itchy jumpers, one family in Hampton, in Australia’s Queensland state, received a much deadlier surprise: A highly venomous snake left under the Christmas tree by their pet cat.
Photos of the incident were shared on Facebook by Darling Downs Snake Catchers. In the images, the small red-bellied black snake can be seen curled up among the Christmas presents, while the smug cat watches on.
“[The] cat seemed quite proud of itself,” a spokesperson for Darling Downs Snake Catchers told Newsweek.
“Oh no way! Naughty cat!” commented one user.
“That’s it, not getting a cat,” said another.
This is not the first snake to find itself underneath a Christmas tree this year. Earlier in December a non-venomous Keelback snake was found hiding among the presents at a home in Hervey Bay, also in Queensland.
Unlike the Keelback, red-bellied black snakes are dangerously venomous, although the spokesperson for Darling Downs Snake Catchers said there are no records of human deaths from this species. However, those who get bitten aren’t always left unscathed: “People have lost fingers, due to its flesh destroying toxins,” the spokesperson said.
Red-bellied black snakes can be found along the eastern edge of Australia and are usually associated with moist habitats within forests, woodlands and grasslands. They can grow up to six and a half feet in length and they feed on fish, frogs and reptiles, including other snakes.
The Australian Museum said that the species is one of the most frequently encountered snakes on the east coast of Australia, and that it’s responsible for numerous bites every year. However, they are very shy animals and will only bite as a last resort.
Their venom is known to damage muscles and stop blood from clotting, and envenomation can cause bleeding and swelling at the bite site, nausea, headaches, diarrhea, sweating, muscle pain and red-brown urine.
Although the red-bellied black snake is still fairly abundant in some areas of its range, its habitats are at risk amid wetland drainage and destructive management. They are also vulnerable to the toxin of the Cane toad, which is thought to be a key factor in their decline in parts of Queensland and New South Wales.
In the present case, after being removed from underneath the Christmas tree, the snake was released in bushland near a creek. Neither the snake nor the cat were harmed.
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