In a wild display of fearlessness, a bold Australian snake wrangler captured two massive snakes with one hand—while the snakes were fighting.
Stuart McKenzie, professional snake catcher at Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers in Queensland, Australia, is the courageous fellow who pulled off this daring stunt. Given that the snakes in question were eastern brown snakes, McKenzie's stunt is even more impressive. These slippery serpents are known for being the second most venomous snake in the world, according to the Australian Venom Research Unit.
In a video shared by Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7, McKenzie responds to a call to handle two fighting snakes in the brush of a woman's property.
McKenzie finds the snakes intertwined, a behavior that occurs when snakes are fighting over a potential mate. He watches the snakes carefully, waiting for the right moment to capture these venomous creatures. As he waits to make his move, two dogs appear, chasing each other and breaking his focus. He quickly lets the owner know the dogs can't stay there—it's way too dangerous.
As soon as the dogs are gone, McKenzie is focused again. You can hear him breathing and see the concentration in his face. He smoothly and quickly picks up the tangled snakes by their tails with his bare hand. As he holds the unhappy snakes as far away from his body as possible, you can see their long bodies twisted around each other before he stuffs them into a bag to relocate them.
This showdown happened in Queensland's Glass House Mountains, where the presence of these venomous serpents was posing a risk to the safety of the children and the dogs on the property.
Eastern brown snakes typically measure about 5 feet in length and have a reputation for acting ferociously and being quick to bite. The Australian Museum shares that their venom is made up of some nasty ingredients, including presynaptic neurotoxins, procoagulants, cardiotoxins, and nephrotoxins. A bite could lead to progressive paralysis and uncontrollable bleeding.
All the more impressive that McKenzie can catch these big guys bare handed.
Comments on social media have been largely supportive while balancing a healthy amount of terror at the idea of being in McKenzie's shoes. There is also a lot of curiosity around what will happen to the snakes: they'll be released out in the bush, away from people's homes, where they are less likely to come in contact with people and pets and cause harm or be harmed themselves.
But there's still one compelling question left: where is the female they were fighting over, and will she attract more male snakes to the yard?
