# Family's dogs kill deadly taipan



## slim6y (Oct 13, 2009)

*Published On:* 10-12-2009
*Source:* Daily Mercury

TODD Harrington's two dogs, Oscar and Jade, look proud as punch sitting on the lawn in their backyard.

The two dogs killed a deadly taipan at the Harringtons' Eimeo residence after it slithered its way under their fence.

Mr Harrington's house backs on to a reserve and he believes that is where the snake came from before his dogs tore it in two.

He said he called a wildlife ranger and described the features of the snake to him.

“The man said he was 90 per cent sure it was a taipan.”

Mr Harrington said the wildlife ranger had told him it wasn't every day you heard of two dogs surviving an encounter with a deadly reptile like a taipan or a brown snake.

“I have two young children so I am very thankful,” he said. “The snake was found only metres from the sandpit where they play.

“I guess the key message is that there are snakes about and to proceed with caution if you see one in your backyard.”

Australian Wildlife Rescue Service snake handler Fay Paterson said yesterday Mackay was well and truly into snake season. “It is the mating season at the moment and there has been a lot of snake movements.”

She said in the past six weeks she had caught about 44 snakes in the region.

It was easy to detect a brown snake, she said, as they had small heads and a creamy belly with a flicker of red through it, while a taipan was distinguishable by its head and its square nose, which gives them the title 'Coffin Head'.

She said nine times out of 10, when people called to say they had a brown snake or a taipan it ended up being a tree snake.

“Normally you can get rid of a green tree snake by putting the hose on it.” But Ms Paterson said if someone found what they believed to be a dangerous snake they should not touch it or go near it and call a snake handler or a wildlife ranger.

She said 95 per cent of people were bitten because they had been trying either to catch it or kill a snake.

“The best thing is to leave it alone,” she said.

*Go to Original Article*


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## herptrader (Oct 13, 2009)

How can it be deadly if it is dead??


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## Wild~Touch (Oct 13, 2009)

*dead snakes*



herptrader said:


> How can it be deadly if it is dead??



Eeeeww...you know what snakes are


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## xycom (Oct 13, 2009)

It may be dead but it's not idiot proof


Per


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## slim6y (Oct 13, 2009)

herptrader said:


> How can it be deadly if it is dead??



You could still trip over it and crack your heat on the concrete and while being taken to hospital at high speeds have a bad accident....


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## Weezer (Oct 13, 2009)

wow. "...90% sure it was a Taipan...." hey ?

wonder if they would sentence a human to death if they were .."90% sure he committed the crime..."


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## redbellybite (Oct 13, 2009)

herptrader said:


> How can it be deadly if it is dead??


 Would you handle and touch the fangs with your bare fingers on a freshly killed one?


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## morgs202 (Oct 13, 2009)

No, but a complete idiot would. about 90% of the population...


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## redbellybite (Oct 13, 2009)

morgs202 said:


> No, but a complete idiot would. about 90% of the population...


 well that answers the question on how it can be deadly even if its dead


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## spiderpug (Oct 13, 2009)

*bloody domestic pets!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

...


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## Frozenmouse (Oct 13, 2009)

The sad part is the angle they have taken with the story i thought snakes were protected.


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## geckos_are_great (Oct 13, 2009)

the second week we had our chiwowa x australian terria. she killed a baby tiger snake. no injuries sustained.


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## Snake Catcher Victoria (Oct 13, 2009)

Definitly a green tree snake, so it never was deadly anyway.


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## Varanus1 (Oct 13, 2009)

The picture isn't great... But that is the most un-taipan looking tai i've ever seen. I have been wrong before though


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## baxtor (Oct 13, 2009)

geckos_are_great said:


> the second week we had our chiwowa x australian terria. she killed a baby tiger snake. no injuries sustained.


what do you mean "no injuries sustained" the bloody dog killed the tiger snake, sounds like an injury to me.


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## Fuscus (Oct 13, 2009)

Isn't that the type of dog that normally savages babies?


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## Fuscus (Oct 13, 2009)

I'm sick of these "Hero" dog stories. I'm sure the following is as common - just not reported



> TODD Harrington's two dogs, Oscar and Jade, look proud as punch sitting on the lawn in their backyard.
> 
> The two dogs killed a deadly koala at the Harringtons' EMO residence after it wandered its way under their fence.
> 
> ...


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