A highly venomous snake has been removed from a schoolyard by a snake catcher.
Stuart McKenzie, owner of Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7, posted a video of the eastern brown snake and its rescue on Facebook.
The four-foot-long serpent can be seen in the video lurking by the side of a school building in Australia, with McKenzie approaching it slowly with a fabric bag in his hand.
"This beautiful Eastern Brown was making its way through the school yard when the teachers noticed it! We rushed over as quickly as we could to ensure the safety of the children and of the snake," McKenzie captioned the post.
Native to Australia, Papua New Guinea, and parts of Indonesia, eastern browns are considered one of the world's most venomous snakes. Adults generally range between 4 and 6 feet in length, with some reaching over 7 feet long.
"It is a large species, growing to over 2 meters in length, and occupies a range of habitats, including rural and urban areas where it is attracted to rodents," Damian Michael, a landscape ecologist and herpetologist at Charles Sturt University, told Newsweek. "It has a naturally 'nervous' disposition, often flattening its neck or rearing up into an S-shape when it feels threatened."
Eastern browns have one of the most potent venoms in the world, containing neurotoxins and blood coagulants, and bites can be fatal without rapid medical treatment.
Deaths are thankfully relatively rare thanks to the availability of antivenom and improved medical response times. However, eastern browns are responsible for more deaths in Australia than any other snake species.
"Snakes are reluctant to bite humans unless they feel threatened, so if they are left alone and not killed, a bite is rare," Michael said.
In the video, McKenzie can be seen grabbing the snake by the end of its tail and holding it in the air at arms length.
"Nice size! It's about four foot, four and a half foot," he can be heard saying in the video. "Nice and warm, as you can imagine on a day like today."
McKenzie then placed the snake into the fabric bag, thanking the teacher for watching the snake to make sure it didn't get close to any children.
"You've done such a good job to keep an eye on it, thank you for that," he said. "Braver than most people!"
McKenzie then released the snake into the wilderness, with the video showing the serpent rapidly slithering into the bushes.
"It's incredible how quick they just vanish. You would never know it was there in that undergrowth," one commenter said under the video.
In the case of a snake bite, immediate pressure bandaging and immobilization of the affected limb is crucial while waiting for emergency medical help. Specific antivenoms are available and recovery is usually possible with prompt treatment.
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