Great ripples of excitement were felt yesterday afternoon.
Next door’s helper was in the yard when she realised that the rope-like thing coiled around the railings at the back of the house was actually a large brown snake snoozing peacefully in the warm afternoon sunshine. She called security and the men came and hassled it off the fence whereupon it slithered along the back path and disappeared into a hole. Which has now been blocked.
Our helper saw it go and told us it was a big one, about 6 ft in length. She also said it was venomous. And that her grandfather and two of her cousins died as a result of snake bites.
They’ve been clearing overgrown bamboo on the steep bank behind the houses and the speculation is that the snake’s usual habitat could have been disturbed. We are advised not to come in via the back path until they can be sure the snake is not going to make a habit of hanging out on the railings.
But the real tragedy is that those of us who have barely seen a snake outside of the Cotswold Wildlife Park never even caught a glimpse of it.
And so the myth lives on; it was (spreads arms wide) THAT big.
Next door’s helper was in the yard when she realised that the rope-like thing coiled around the railings at the back of the house was actually a large brown snake snoozing peacefully in the warm afternoon sunshine. She called security and the men came and hassled it off the fence whereupon it slithered along the back path and disappeared into a hole. Which has now been blocked.
Our helper saw it go and told us it was a big one, about 6 ft in length. She also said it was venomous. And that her grandfather and two of her cousins died as a result of snake bites.
They’ve been clearing overgrown bamboo on the steep bank behind the houses and the speculation is that the snake’s usual habitat could have been disturbed. We are advised not to come in via the back path until they can be sure the snake is not going to make a habit of hanging out on the railings.
But the real tragedy is that those of us who have barely seen a snake outside of the Cotswold Wildlife Park never even caught a glimpse of it.
And so the myth lives on; it was (spreads arms wide) THAT big.
UPDATE: the doormen rediscovered the snake today taking cover in the drainage gutter. They poured boiling water over it to kill it and then invited us to go and view their bounty which had by this time reached 8 ft in length.
Our slithery friend was rather a pathetic sight after his ordeal and felt hot and wet to the touch, a bit like boiled snake I suppose. I was of course disappointed to find he was not an inch over 4 ft, so not actually THAT big after all.
Our slithery friend was rather a pathetic sight after his ordeal and felt hot and wet to the touch, a bit like boiled snake I suppose. I was of course disappointed to find he was not an inch over 4 ft, so not actually THAT big after all.
6 comments:
WOW thats big stay away!! This is where size does matter and I'd stick to the Wildlife Center exhabit!
I hav ethat same fatal shuddery fascination. Didnt see a single snake in 2 yrs of living in Sri LAnka. my son did; a cobra in the school lplayground (well in a hole in the wall)we went on jungle walks, lived with untended jungly patches on 2 sides of our house. Somehow I felt I SHOULD have seen/encountered one ,livign in 'the tropics' But at the same time I'm glad we didn't! We did get HUGE spiders (Sri Lankan Tree Spiders) in our hosue, thanks to teh jungle next to us, on several occasions. Shudder.
poor snake. As you said it's because it's habitat has been destroyed.
Snakes don't attack unless provoked or startled.
apparently all you need to do is put sulpher around the perimeter of your property and they stay away
Holy cow 4 ft is still bigger than a third grader!!
Keep yer pecker up darlin'. At least your hugely expensively educated children were not found trying to lure it out with the laundry basket and a recorder!!
You have achieved something that I didn't think was possible. I feel sorry for that snake. I have a lifelong (so far) phobia of the things. Hate them. Can hardly look at pictures of them in books, let alone anything moving on tv. I've always believed that the only good snake is a dead snake, and preferably on a different continent too. But that picture makes me a little sad (only a little).
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