A venomous snake was found hiding on a child’s bed among a pile of stuffed animals.
In a video posted Saturday, Australian snake-catching professionals can be seen expertly removing the creature.
Snake Catchers Brisbane & Gold Coast posted the capture with an explanation of the situation.
“This highly venomous red-bellied black snake was relocated from a child’s bed this morning in Jimboomba after trying to blend in with some cuddle toys,” the company wrote in a Facebook post accompanying the video below.
WARNING: The following video contains images that some may find disturbing.
According to a fact sheet published by the government of Victoria, Australia, although the snake is venomous, no humans have been killed by bites from this creature.
“This species is not aggressive and will usually retreat before attacking,” the fact sheet says, “although when it is threatened it will raise its body from the ground flatten its neck, hiss and perform a series of strikes.
“There have been no recorded human deaths as a result of a red-bellied black Snake bite to date in Australia.”
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Of course, you should always take everything the Australian government tries to do or tell you with a grain of salt.
A case report of red-bellied black snake bites on dogs in Australia shows that they can indeed be fatal to creatures smaller than humans.
One dog described in the article, a Jack Russell terrier of unknown age, was killed by a bite to its foreleg.
The dog died “within minutes” of arrival at a veterinary clinic.
An article from the Feb. 25, 1887, edition of Melbourne’s The Argus newspaper reported a fatal bite from an unidentified “black snake.” The victim, a Chinese gardener, killed the creature and rubbed its head on his wound in the belief this would function as an antidote.
It didn’t work, and the man died shortly after being admitted to a hospital.
Most victims of the snake’s bite do appear to recover when treated with something other than Eastern ritual medicine.
In March of this year, a woman enjoying a day at a beach in Sydney was bitten by a red-bellied snake, Newsweek reported.
A lifeguard applied a bandage as the venom’s symptoms began to show. She was then transported to a local hospital, where she entered a stable condition and remained for further treatment.
Dripping with anticoagulants, the bites cause profuse bleeding as other toxins work through the victim’s body. Nausea, vomiting, headaches and respiratory arrest have also been recorded.
