Some of us — cough — haven’t yet erected a Christmas tree and aren’t feeling even slightly guilty about it after witnessing this horror. In Australia, one woman (known only as “Cheryl”) awoke a week before the magical holiday to find an unfamiliar decoration coiled around her tree. ‘Twas a tiger snake, which is easily identified through its yellow-and-brown pattern and brings much trepidation due to its potent neurotoxic venom.
Cheryl kept her cool and quickly phoned Snake Catcher Victoria, and Barry Goldman quickly apprehended and bagged the snake to be released back into the wild. No one’s quite sure how on earth the snake managed to enter the home and ascend a decorated tree in an undetected manner, but this would have made for a potentially deadly encounter, had Cheryl not acted swiftly.
As an added twist, the tiger snake is a protected species, so one cannot kill this animal without facing a hefty fine (several thousands of dollars) and possible jail time. Fortunately, Goldman was able to save the holiday, but this family won’t ever look at a Christmas tree the same way again.
Where’s Samuel L. Jackson when you need him?
