Reptile Relocation Sydney recounts a “bizarre” incident in a Facebook post, explaining how a woman who went geocaching in Australia ended up with a deadly snake caught in the tiny loop at the back of one of her sneakers. (And now every Australian in the audience is snipping the loops on his/her shoes immediately.)
Videos by Outdoors
Cory Kerewaro is the snake catcher behind Reptile Relocation Sydney, and he admits this call had him nervous, especially when he realized the snake in question was a venomous eastern brown snake. He tells the story in his own words in a post, writing:
“Saturday afternoon’s job was without a doubt the most bizarre call I’ve ever attended. [. . .] As soon as I saw it, I confirmed 100% that it was an Eastern Brown Snake. What I saw next was something I still can’t quite believe. The snake had gone into the small loop at the back used to pull shoes on and had become completely wedged. The odds of that happening are almost nil. It was absolutely unreal.”
[RELATED: ‘I Almost Missed Him’: Can You Find the Copperhead Snake?]
It was at this point that Kerewaro says everything changed. He realized this woman’s life was in his hands. He needed to get that snake away from her without scaring the snake and causing it to strike.
Kerewaro was able to pin the snake while the woman got the shoe off of her foot, and then they cut the loop and freed the snake. Unfortunately, the snake had already bitten the woman multiple times, but she was able to get to the hospital, and she survived the ordeal.
See photos of the deadly snake stuck in a geocacher’s shoe here:
Header stock image of eastern brown snake by RugliG/Getty Images
