The three-metre long python that devoured a family pet before Christmas is at it again, this time setting its scaly sights on a Chihuahua.
Fortunately the Chihuahua’s owner was on hand this time to release the dog from the snake’s jaws before it has time to complete its mini-meal.
The python was taken to the Australian Venom Zoo by staff member Stuart Douglas, where the reptile was held for a short time before being released into a secret rainforest location. Residents are no doubt hoping that the new location is considerably further away than the last, as this was exactly the same snake that had taken a nine-month-old Jack Russell puppy called Dot late last year.
According to the puppy’s owner, Keri Stewart, the snake had attacked Dot after stalking her in the back yard of their Cairn’s home. Stewart told the tragic tale of how she had returned home and let Dot into the backyard, only to return an hour later to discover the python lying in the grass with a large lump in its middle. Stewart was so traumatised by the incident that she moved out of her home in Fallon Close to avoid the snake, saying fears for the safety of her 11-year-old son had prompted the move.
The latest snake strike follows a reported python attack on a Kuranda goat just two weeks ago. The amethystine python or scrub python had emerged from the rainforest to snatch away the 35kg goat. Experts claim that rainforest snakes often go looking for domestic pets in the lead-up to winter and that any pets in the region should be safely locked inside at this time of year.