# Scrub pythons from last night.



## Mick666 (Oct 10, 2019)

I got a call from a mate last night saying there was a carpet snake in his chook pen. I got there to discover it was a large scrub python. We were looking at it when he screamed and ran away. There was another one hanging from a tree next to us. 

this is the little one as we found him





the big scrub as we found him





here's a video of when we finally got him out.


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## burningfyra (Oct 10, 2019)

Hope your friend cracked you open a beer for that, looked like it was bloody hard work.


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## Sdaji (Oct 11, 2019)

burningfyra said:


> Hope your friend cracked you open a beer for that, looked like it was bloody hard work.



Haha, that was one of the most chilled out wild Scrubbies you could hope to come across! If that looks like hard work to you, I can't imagine how you'd describe wrangling a normal or cranky one four times the weight, or an angry Brown on a hot day! 

Mick666: Looks like a fun night, I hope you didn't take it too far away. What general area was it in? I see your location is Proserpine but I'm not aware of them getting much further south than Townsville. It wouldn't be a huge range extension but I didn't think they were quite down there.


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## Mick666 (Oct 11, 2019)

Both were very calm, The big one was getting into every nook and cranny it could find, wrapping around the chicken perch, and he was so strong. It took ages to get him out. The snakes were released further along the hill, I'd guess about 1.5km - 2km away. I had another friend on the morning news a few years ago from where I released these two, she caught one with her dog inside it. haha. They get them all the time so it's no big deal if they turn up again, they just wanted to put the chooks back in. the whole pen has been snake proofed, but the door is left open during the day when the chooks are out. I got another one in town a year or so ago about 11 foot long, it was really calm too. I've heard of quite a few scrub python sightings around the area. I think they're fairly common here.
[doublepost=1570745249,1570745109][/doublepost]https://www.whitsundaytimes.com.au/news/python-claims-life-of-pet-dog/2203712/


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## burningfyra (Oct 11, 2019)

Sdaji said:


> Haha, that was one of the most chilled out wild Scrubbies you could hope to come across! If that looks like hard work to you, I can't imagine how you'd describe wrangling a normal or cranky one four times the weight, or an angry Brown on a hot day!



Yeah fair enough, I'd probably describe those as "screw that"


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## Sdaji (Oct 11, 2019)

Mick666 said:


> Both were very calm, The big one was getting into every nook and cranny it could find, wrapping around the chicken perch, and he was so strong. It took ages to get him out. The snakes were released further along the hill, I'd guess about 1.5km - 2km away. I had another friend on the morning news a few years ago from where I released these two, she caught one with her dog inside it. haha. They get them all the time so it's no big deal if they turn up again, they just wanted to put the chooks back in. the whole pen has been snake proofed, but the door is left open during the day when the chooks are out. I got another one in town a year or so ago about 11 foot long, it was really calm too. I've heard of quite a few scrub python sightings around the area. I think they're fairly common here.
> [doublepost=1570745249,1570745109][/doublepost]https://www.whitsundaytimes.com.au/news/python-claims-life-of-pet-dog/2203712/



You're talking about Proserpine?
[doublepost=1570775573][/doublepost]


burningfyra said:


> Yeah fair enough, I'd probably describe those as "screw that"



No one ever gave me a beer for any of the times I've done both! Usually I have just done it for fun!


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## Mick666 (Oct 15, 2019)

Yep, in Proserpine. I've come across 4 in the last two years, including the one that ate the dog. one was in town and the other 3 were at rifle range road, between Proserpine and Airlie beach. The sightings i take with a grain of salt, lot's of people get them mistaken with carpets. Same with Taipan sightings, I'm sure most of those are tree snakes or keelbacks.


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## Sdaji (Oct 16, 2019)

Mick666 said:


> Yep, in Proserpine. I've come across 4 in the last two years, including the one that ate the dog. one was in town and the other 3 were at rifle range road, between Proserpine and Airlie beach. The sightings i take with a grain of salt, lot's of people get them mistaken with carpets. Same with Taipan sightings, I'm sure most of those are tree snakes or keelbacks.



Interesting, they get a little further south than I realised. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

And yep, the way amateurs (and often so-called professionals!) identify snakes is ridiculous. It's amazing that people can simultaneously be so sure and so incredibly and obviously wrong.


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## Mick666 (Oct 16, 2019)

The first scrub I caught, my wife walks up and says, yep that's a coastal, and we own a bunch of coastals. that's how bad people are at identifying snakes. lol


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## Sdaji (Oct 18, 2019)

Mick666 said:


> The first scrub I caught, my wife walks up and says, yep that's a coastal, and we own a bunch of coastals. that's how bad people are at identifying snakes. lol



Plenty of long term herpers can't tell a Scrubby from a Carpet!


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## cement (Nov 16, 2019)

Sdaji said:


> Interesting, they get a little further south than I realised. Thanks for taking the time to respond.



I know why they are there, and I believe that it is an isolated colony. The truth behind it is a matter of not what you know but who..........
what I find interesting is that they are now at prosperpine and not just Airlie!


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## Mick666 (Nov 19, 2019)

I think they could be out near Dingo beach too.
[doublepost=1574116831,1574116631][/doublepost]there seems to be more around here than I thought. 
https://www.whitsundaytimes.com.au/news/huge-scrub-python-found-in-cannon-valley-chicken-c/3265354/


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