QUEENSLAND, Australia — A Sunshine Coast driver got a huge shock during pre-start checks in Australia.
Rick Denning, a driver for Sommers Sawdust Supplies in the Glass Mountains was completing his pre-trip check on the Kenworth T409 he drives – only to find a 10-foot python wrapped around the turntable.
“Rick thought it was a little bit out there — it’s probably not the sort of thing you want to be encountering at that time of the morning,” his employer, Mark Sommers, told Australian trucking news outlet Big Rigs. “He took it for a run to get it out of the depot and said he would try to get it off the truck at the next stop.”
The python was perfectly happy where it was and both Denning and Sommers had to call in professional reinforcement from Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers.
Professional snake catcher Heather McMurray was quickly on the scene, unfazed as she did what she does best.
McMurray said the python, which measured approximately 3.2 metres, was quite difficult to remove from the rig.
“I had to do the head grab, and we don’t really like grabbing python’s heads because we’re a predator, and they just assume that we’re going to hurt them,” McMurray said. “So they start moving in strange ways and trying to get us. But in some situations like that, there is no choice. It’s the easiest and safest option just to grab their head, but we do it very gently and make sure not to strangle or hurt the snake.”
McMurray added that snakes are drawn to trucks because they provide a warm place for them to rest while they digest their food.
“It’s pretty warm up here at the moment anyway, but after they eat, they do need that heat to digest their food items,” McMurray said. “Under the truck would have been just perfect for him that day.”
According to McMurray, breeding season for snakes started early this year, and drivers and operators should be on the lookout.
“I think we’ve got probably another month like this, and then we’ll start seeing some eggs and babies around the place,” McMurray said. “It is very common to see snakes around trucking yards and warehouses. We get several snakes in trucks every year, often in the engine bay. I’ve actually had them inside the trucks a few times too.”
Pythons are not venomous, but can still be dangerous.
“A bite from a Python that size would put you in hospital,” McMurray said. “They have approximately 90 teeth in their mouth, and they all slope backwards. Their teeth could easily go through an artery.”
McMurray said that if you spot a snake in or around your truck, you should call a professional to have it removed.
“Call the nearest snake catcher for a couple of reasons,” she said. “It’s actually illegal to relocate wildlife without a permit, and for the safety of the snake and yourself, it’s much better just to give us a call. We can do it a lot quicker and a lot easier.”
McMurray said that one of the most important things to remember is that people might think they dealing with a non-venomous snake, but they could be wrong.
“We’ve had people calling us saying they’ve got a tree snake in the truck, and it’s turned out to be something a little more venomous,” McMurray said. “Especially if you don’t get a good look at it, it can be hard to tell.”
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
