# Unfortunate find



## gus11 (Oct 5, 2012)

I was recently doing some survey work on the Sunshine Coast in a national park, and came across this.







I was quite surprised to find this decapitated snake ~800m down a very rarely used track in a national park. I had been at the spot at 6pm working and when i returned the next morning at 6 am found the snake. I don't know who carries a shovel into a National Park to do this but it was a bit upsetting to find. I could see where it had been killed and squirmed around before lying as it appears in the picture.

I understand people will kill snakes at their homes/work places etc. but in a national park??? ***!

Gus


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## cathy1986 (Oct 5, 2012)

very sad indeed  RIP snakey :'(


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## imported_Varanus (Oct 5, 2012)

Not necessarily a human to blame, were there tracks in the vicinity?


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## cathy1986 (Oct 5, 2012)

there would be teeth puncture marks and it wouldnt be so clean cut if it was an animal


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## thomasssss (Oct 5, 2012)

cathy1986 said:


> there would be teeth puncture marks and it wouldnt be so clean cut if it was an animal


how do you know that they are clean cut and their is no puncture marks , where you with the op and have seen the animal in person , not being rude just wondering how you know so much as i wouldnt rule it out from that one photo and from what has been said


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## borntobnude (Oct 5, 2012)

only two things kill for the sake of killing --Humans and Foxes ,if there was no shovel involved it was a fox:evil: .
with shovel a human:evil:


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## shabbyy (Oct 5, 2012)

What type of snake is that?


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## cathy1986 (Oct 5, 2012)

just saying usually an animal ie fox or dog almost 99% of the time shake it around and kill it they dont usually just take off the head


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## treeofgreen (Oct 5, 2012)

Come on... a carpet... REALLY. Even if they were shyt scared... what were they expecting in a national park...

I have worked this all out tho:

1km into national park + rarely used track + shovel = DUMPING OF MURDER VICTIM 

^^ I am probably 100% correct with this


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## Snake Catcher Victoria (Oct 5, 2012)

Looks like a shovel to me, unfortunatly I have seen it before. No teeth marks on the body and a clean cut.Id be looking at people who may have been working in the park, especially if shovel work was involved.Lots of tree planting is done by an assortment of groups, some individuals in these groups may not share our views of humane snake control


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## shabbyy (Oct 5, 2012)

treeofgreen said:


> Come on... a carpet... REALLY. Even if they were shyt scared... what were they expecting in a national park...
> 
> I have worked this all out tho:
> 
> ...



Ahaha, Australia, beautiful big and open large landscapes, MANY secluded spots. It is your dream holiday! But...It is perfect to hide a body.


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## thomasssss (Oct 5, 2012)

treeofgreen said:


> Come on... a carpet... REALLY. Even if they were shyt scared... what were they expecting in a national park...
> 
> I have worked this all out tho:
> 
> ...


and here i was thinking its a cannabis grower as it is coming into summer prime time , but now i see , their must be a shallow grave somewhere near by


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## treeofgreen (Oct 5, 2012)

So.... a win win situation either way?

If i am right, Gus may have found a body and will hopefully lead to the victims family getting a sense of closure?

If thomassss is right, free bud party at Gus' ?


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## intoxicated88 (Oct 5, 2012)

yeah sad alright i went down to the river where i catch my mud crabs went to throw a few pots in and came across a 8 foot diamond python. looked like some one had got it with the shovel


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## Bluetongue1 (Oct 13, 2012)

Extremely disappointing that it happens in a national park, areas specifically set up to protect wildlife from humans. Given the timing and tool used it is likely someone working in the area,as has been suggested. 



*Thomasss* when someone says they are “not being rude”, it is usually because they are. There was no need to add on the sarcasm once you had asked your question. To do so is at best as being patronizing and at worst ridiculing. 

The deductions that person made, based on what the OP said and their own background knowledge, were fully justified….

The snake was decapitated. The OP blamed a shovel. He stated he could see where it was killed. He also stated he see where the dying snake had squirmed. He did not mention any other injuries. You cannot observe any other injuries in the photo. H e did not mention signs of a struggle or animal tracks, which would surely have been present if the snake were killed by another animal. 

Foxes and wild dogs will bite and shake the mid body area of a snake first, in order to reduce its mobility and to inflict fatal wounds if possible. Once the snake has significantly slowed, they go for the neck. The wounds and struggle from such an attack would be quite apparent under the circumstances.

Had you not been rude, I would not be pointing out that with the sufficient forethought you would not have asked the question all.

Blue


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## cathy1986 (Oct 13, 2012)

Bluetongue1 said:


> Extremely disappointing that it happens in a national park, areas specifically set up to protect wildlife from humans. Given the timing and tool used it is likely someone working in the area,as has been suggested.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



thanks lol

Cathy


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## leverett13 (Oct 13, 2012)

It could have also died from natural causes and a keen herper may have cut of it's head to preserve the skull?


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## thomasssss (Oct 13, 2012)

Bluetongue1 said:


> Extremely disappointing that it happens in a national park, areas specifically set up to protect wildlife from humans. Given the timing and tool used it is likely someone working in the area,as has been suggested.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


*blue* , i still can not see where i was being sarcastic , i genuinely asked if they where there to know what the wounds looked like in person as it was early in the thread and not much had been said , show me what was sarcastic about that post please point it out ,


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## kr0nick (Oct 13, 2012)

*a*



treeofgreen said:


> Come on... a carpet... REALLY. Even if they were shyt scared... what were they expecting in a national park...
> 
> I have worked this all out tho:
> 
> ...


Or someone growing dope and they spotted it and killed it. ***holes


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## Bluetongue1 (Oct 13, 2012)

thomasssss said:


> *blue* , i still can not see where i was being sarcastic , i genuinely asked if they where there to know what the wounds looked like in person as it was early in the thread and not much had been said , show me what was sarcastic about that post please point it out ,


If I must….

Firstly, you question how the person knows these things. But of course she cannot know them as she was not there. A choice of words designed to cast aspersions on her statements. Statements that were clearly surmise, not knowledge, as were everyone else’s.

You then ask a question which you already know the answer to – was she there? We all knew the answer! It was not intended as a genuine question but as a rhetoric one. Its actual purpose was to emphasis the exact opposite – that she had not been there. Saying one thing, meaning the opposite, and utilising this to show contempt for something or someone = sarcasm. 

The content of your post was dealt with but I took exception to its manner.

Blue


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## PMyers (Oct 16, 2012)

Boy, when you ask Blue to hand your **** to you on a literary platter, he delivers!


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## cathy1986 (Oct 16, 2012)

PMyers said:


> Boy, when you ask Blue to hand your **** to you on a literary platter, he delivers!



i love his way with words its sexy lol

Cathy


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## Colubrid (Oct 16, 2012)

Thomasssss you should get yourself a napkin, cause you just got served.


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## Manda1032 (Oct 16, 2012)

borntobnude said:


> only two things kill for the sake of killing --Humans and Foxes ,if there was no shovel involved it was a fox:evil: .
> with shovel a human:evil:



you forgot cats


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## treeofgreen (Oct 16, 2012)

Hahaha i love Bluetongue1

He is like an angel of kindness and courtesy flying around the school yard, keeping kids out of trouble. BUT don't mess with him or he will smite yo ***


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## apprenticegnome (Oct 16, 2012)

I have 2 theories.
1. Mafia as there was no use of lime to conceal the body and the head has been removed to post to relatives.
2. I'll leave this one out as it may offend.


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## moosenoose (Oct 16, 2012)

Why do people bother going into a National park if they can't respect the wildlife? I thought that people would be excited to see something like this? I don't know how many snakes I've stepped over, sat next to, had fly across in front of me etc etc....but never had a single problem because I left it alone and allowed it to go about its business unimpeded. Geeez people make me mad at times.


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## Snake Catcher Victoria (Oct 16, 2012)

I got a call yesterday from a guy asking me how he can kill a snake...
I told him to leave it alone and maybe it will die of old age, told him it was illegal to kill, blah blah the usual stuff, he asked me about traps and what baits to put in snake traps...
i told him that it was illegal for him to trap a snake or use a live mouse as bait..
he got huffy,,,I got huffier 
and the phonecall disintergrated into a a messy free for all, 
Luckily i got his address before the conversation had gotten out of control and his phone number..
This mentality is still very prevalent in every walk of life and there will always be someone out there who will kill out of ignorance and fear.


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## Stuart (Oct 16, 2012)

Looks like the snake is not the only one to have lost its head in this thread...

Sad thing to happen as it looked like a beautiful specimen.


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## PMyers (Oct 16, 2012)

ssssnakeman said:


> I got a call yesterday from a guy asking me how he can kill a snake...



What a prat! I can't believe someone would call a "relocator" which, by it's very name, CLEARY means "snake butcherer" (with apologies to he-who-must-not-be-named for stealing his unofficial trademark), to ask how to kill a snake! Unfortunately, there seems to be little hope for some people...


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## gus11 (Oct 16, 2012)

As I stated at the start, I could see fairly well what had happened from marks in the sand. I can't be 100% as I wasn't there. but I know of few animals that will decapitate a snake and leave the body (often owls decapitate things for example). Would have to have been a huge cat to take down this size snake. I doubt a fox would eat the head a leave the rest. The place is crawling with foxes i saw a fox with what i think was a swamp rat the night before and a fox with a swamp hen the night before that. I don't see why it would leave the body. so never know. there is so many fox tracks around couldn't tell if they were from that night or the one before.

Gus


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## Bananapeel (Oct 16, 2012)

Haha, Blue. You're an amazing writer and noone could retaliate back at what you said.
Honestly though. Who has ever seen a snake see a human then decide to just bite it. They move away! (unless the need to defend them self arises - which I may add is most always the humans dumb fault) Some of us may need to learn a thing or two from these snakes. Some people also need to adapt to control their own body temperature, to stop their blood boiling at the slightest..... comment.


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