Read Snake Safety Guide for Parents & Kids

I’m pretty sure there’s nothing worse than coming into contact with a deadly snake. I’ve seen a few on hikes and have promptly sh*t my pants, sprinted back the other way while hyperventilating, never to ever set foot in nature again. #NOPE

Now, seeing a snake in nature is one thing. But imagine coming back from the shops to discover there’s a snake in your car. Just chilling out. And not just any snake, but a super dangerous one – a decent-sized Eastern Brown.

That’s another #NOPE from me.

mum central — This deadly snake snuck into a car without the driver noticing. Source: Facebook

But it gets better. Because Captian Nope Rope didn’t just sneak into your car while you were at the shops. Oh no. Turns out, the venomous bugger has been hiding in your car for over an hour. In this car, the driver traveled from Rockhampton to Gladstone, some odd 110km, not aware there was a freakin’ snake under his feet.

That’s a whole lot of nope.

The story was shared over at Gladstone Region Snake Catchers and even the snake catcher, David Voss, was creeped out. David was actually in the car park at the time he got the call to remove a snake from a car.

Another shopper had seen the snake just chilling out and called David to come and look. It’s just pure luck he happened to be in the same car park at the same time.

Deadly snake in car — Imagine seeing THIS staring back at you Source: Facebook

As he writes in his now-viral post,

This is unreal. Tonight at 7:30 I had just pulled into a shopping center to grab some dinner when my phone rung regarding a snake inside a car. The car was in the car park of the same shopping complex, only 50 meters away from me!!

To my surprise it was a decent size Eastern Brown. It would appear that the snake has traveled from Rockhampton to Gladstone with the the vehicle’s owner and most likely inside the car’s cabin!!

There was a little scale damage to its tail so it may have initially been in the engine bay, and I did find one spot on the cars chassis that could have been the snake’s entry point into the cabin. I’m not a fan of catching Eastern Browns at nighttime, and particularly from inside a car, but everything went well.

The second deadliest snake on the planet travelling unnoticed in a car with you for a couple of hours!!”

via GIPHY

Snakes in a car…and everywhere else

Of course, this isn’t the first time a snake has come to a party uninvited and ruined it for everyone. Last year a Brisbane family discovered a carpet python sunbathing in their car. The family had stopped for a picnic, left the windows open and guess who decided to make himself at home?

No mention of whether the family just Ubered home. But my guess is yes.

Then there was that time a mum on the Gold Coast discovered a massive Eastern Brown wrapped around her son’s LEGO.

I’m pretty sure they burned the whole house down after this little find.

Then there was that time a Brisbane mum emptied the extra water out of her son’s water bottle and out came a baby carpet python. And we cannot forget that time a Gold Coast mum went to put her baby down for a nap and discovered a deadly Eastern Brown had already claimed the space.

*SHUDDER*.

Of course, now’s the perfect time for snakes to come out and haunt us. It’s getting hotter and snakes tend to be more active in the heat and during the day – the same time our kids are most active. Hooray!

What to do if your child is bitten

Below are some tips if you or your child ever comes into contact with a snake and get bitten:

Do not panic – Snake venom travels through the body during muscle contractions. Help your child stay calm to keep the muscles from contracting and the venom from spreading.
Don’t let your child walk – Try not to move him at all. And, if you must, carry him instead. Again, any movement can push the venom through the body quicker.
Bandage the area – An elastic compression bandage is best, wrapped as tightly as you would wrap a sprained ankle.
Head to the ER – It’s too risky to assume that the snake isn’t venomous. Go in, no matter what. The emergency department will be able to evaluate your child and give the appropriate anti-venom.
Do not try DIY – Don’t try to wash the area of the bite, suck out the venom.
Do not attempt to identify the snake – No need to try and take a photo of the offender or try and catch a glimpse of it. Let it go.