A bit freaked about the snake

[FlatandFabulouslyFestive]

Moved to Oz in 2007, severely arachnophobic, did the usual shake shoes, check car visors, never go outside barefoot thing for years but gradually got over it so now I'm pretty blasé. On Christmas Eve DS, wife and baby came over, DS nearly stands on a baby brown snake in the driveway. DH beheaded it with a spade, drama over. BUT, I realised after that if I had seen it I wouldn't have known what it was. Obviously you are not going to go near any snake but the fact that it is one of the world's deadliest snakes and was slithering round my garden has freaked me out a bit.

Most MNers reside in countries without poisonous snakes. I assume you’re allowed to just behead your local wildlife? If so then that’s great, no ones been hurt. Fabulous.

It's venomous though, Not poisonous

I wouldnt get the thread taken down op. I appreciate how shaken you must have been, but it's a good idea to read the advice incase it happens again.

@CandyLeBonBon

It's venomous though, Not poisonous

Sorry 🤭

I agree OP, It must have been frightening for you. I do however think its was a bit extreme killing it though. Surely you expect snakes etc living in Oz 🤷‍♀️. We we were walking in the Gower and came across an adder. We just gave it a wide birth and went on our way. Didn't occur to me to kill it and that was on a camp site. Personally I think its a shame we are invading their natural territory and killing them. Humans really are the worse.

Most MNers reside in countries without poisonous snakes

I doubt it.

OP you should come and live in Northern Ireland, we don't have any snakes at all, y'know St Patrick and all that...

I'm getting this thread taken down now so you can take your misguided bleeding hearts elsewhere.
Because people have pointed out you are in the wrong? MNHQ better not take this down.

www.health.qld.gov.au/news-events/news/what-to-do-if-you-get-bitten-by-a-snake.
Sorry if I have upset you OP. The above information will serve you well in the very very very unlikely event you may get bitten.

I think Mumsnet ought to let it stand, OP you committed an illegal act (your DH did) and you are seriously misinformed despite 13 years in Oz.

You might learn something and at the very least animal cruelty should be called out!

What a disgusting thing to do!

I'm getting this thread taken down now so you can take your misguided bleeding hearts elsewhere.

Based on what?

God MN really is full of nutters. Sure, we should have let one of the most poisonous snakes in the world just slither off into the garden and hope it didn't come out again.

OP you can't seriously live in Australia and not realise there are going to be poisonous snakes in your graden! Of course you just have to hope it doesn't come out again. I can guarantee you there'll be other poisonous snakes in your gardens lots of times are you going to kill them all? If so you deserve to be fined. That's you being a nutter not anyone else. If you can't stand the thought of it move elsewhere.

Somewhere in the Op’s garden, waiting for nightfall are the parents of the baby snake and they want their revenge!

How big do brown snakes grow? Hopefully not as big as an Anaconda!

Snakes aren't poisonous, they're venomous.

We should try to learn to live alongside nature, not just kill everything just because you don't like it or believe it's dangerous.

Are you going to try to kill every snake because where there is 1 there will be more?
You should learn to respect other creatures and the environment, we are not the nutters here
And you can't get a thread taken down because you don't like the replies

My DP was in Australia cooking a barbeque under a car port. There was a spider hanging on the ceiling above his head, its body was larger than the burger he was cooking, have you seen one of those.

Obviously I couldn’t if it were venomous, but. If I found a baby snake I’d be wanting to pick it up and coo at it.

@Awwlookatmybabyspider I was in South America once and a teeny-tiny constrictor crawled into my friends hotel room. She got it to wrap itself around a stick (basically just held the stick over it and it attached itself) and then shouted to everyone to come see. It was the most adorablest little thing you have seen in your life. Still best not to pick them up by hand because even non-venemous snakes can give painful bites if they are scared but I did stroke it.

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww. How cute. They’re like little pencils, aren’t they. 🐍

Just going to leave this here, giraffe snek

Ok, so not only was what your DH did illegal, it was also really stupid and about the best way to get bitten.

They’re jokingly called ‘nope ropes’ in Australia (or at least by some people) because when you happen upon one, you say ‘nope’ and give it a wide berth.

They only get aggressive when threatened or cornered. So - don’t do that.

I grew up in the bush and have seen fuckloads of snakes in my time. Having a go at them is really dumb.

So:

• you moved somewhere that has venomous animals. Presumably this was voluntary (I assume Patel hasnt reintroduced transportation)
• you find a baby animal exactly where it is supposed to be - it's not like you found a boa constrictor that would upset the balance of wildlife in your area
• your DH beheads it to stop it being 'in the undergrowth'. So what's that, 1 down, 1 million to go?
• in doing so he broke the law
• and you want to take the thread down because people arent impressed?

Right.

We live in a country with snakes - the most venomous one of which is also protected. We’ve had one in the house on the veranda, I called the authorities expecting them to remove it but they arrived and chopped its head off! I was quite surprised at this but they take a no BS view on the vipers out here. TBF we haven’t had a death in a couple of years but every summer a few people wind up in hospital due to bites so they are not to be messed with.

Tbh - your DH might have gone a bit far, but I understand the reaction. Next time though try to let it slither off if you can.

We’ve since had a couple of vipers around the place but I generally try to let them go away now as soon as possible - although one jumped out at me from a friends overgrown front garden last year that did give me a fright!!