Aussie gardeners warned after bizarre accident sees deadly creature 'chopped in half'
Video supplied by his company, Urban Reptile Removal, shows a red-bellied black snake continuing to writhe on the ground and strike after it had suffered a mortal injury inflicted by a homeowner.
'This snake was accidentally cut in half around 10 minutes ago. People would look at it and think, OK that's the end of it,' he says before picking it up.
'But a snake like this can still bite and still inject venom. And there have been several instances where people have been envenomated and ended up incredibly sick from a snake in this position.'
Related: 🐍 Warning to residents in new Aussie development after deadly discovery
Cold-blooded reptiles have a slower metabolism than warm-blooded mammals, so death for them can take hours. It's not uncommon to find turtles, lizards and snakes struggling on the roadside hours after they've been severely injured by a vehicle strike.
Most of the calls Williams receives about snakes cut in two are linked to lawn mower or whipper snipper accidents. But the incident he attended at Stanhope Gardens last week occurred in more unusual circumstances.
'They'd originally seen the snake in the foyer of their home, and tracked it into a cupboard under the stairs. Sadly, about a minute before I arrived, it was leaving their home and they slammed the screen door on it and chopped him in half,' Williams told Yahoo.
☺️ Aussies urged to fit $7 'lifesaving' Bunnings device to homes
🔎 12,000km outback search for eight missing rare animals
☠️ Call for answers after poison found buried in endangered predator's habitat
All native reptiles are protected and it's illegal to harm them. Snake bites are rare in Australia, but when they do occur, the victims are overwhelmingly men who try to move or kill them.
Williams receives several calls a year, from NSW residents who have accidentally killed a snake while gardening. It's important people don't try and move injured venomous snakes themselves as the snake will be traumatised and dangerous. But also in need of medical attention.
'If it can be treated by a vet, that's our first course of action. If that's not possible, sadly the snake needs to be euthanised,' he said.
Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Centrelink act costing 'hardworking' tax payers: 'End up in jail'
Welcome to legal column, where lawyers Alison and Jillian Barrett from Maurice Blackburn tackle problems everyday Aussies face — whether it be consumer, property, money matters impacting relationships or work. This week, a friend asked whether her mate will end up in jail for accepting cash-in-hand work while on Centrelink. Question I have a good friend who claims Centrelink benefits and various allowances as she has a high needs child and claims she can't work. However, over the past year, she's been taking on more and more cash-in-hand jobs while her daughter is at school. At first, I was supportive as the cost of living was so high, but now she's almost working full-time and not paying any tax while also claiming benefits that hardworking taxpayers, like me, are funding. What would happen to her if I snitched on her? I want her to stop defrauding the system, but I don't want her to end up in 'unreasonable' request after tenant has a baby Mortgage warning over July RBA interest rate cut Centrelink age pension alert for Aussies travelling overseas Answer You're right to question your friend's behaviour, as what she is doing could be considered fraud. Centrelink fraud occurs when someone deliberately provides false or misleading information to receive payments they're not entitled to. In this case, failing to report income – whether it's from cash jobs or any other source – while continuing to claim benefits is a clear breach of the rules. The law doesn't distinguish between income paid by bank transfer or in cash. All income must be declared to both Centrelink and the Australian Taxation Office. The consequences of Centrelink fraud can be serious. If your friend is caught, she may be required to repay the overpaid benefits, face fines, or even be charged with a criminal offence and end up in jail. The outcome depends on the scale of the fraud, whether it was intentional, and whether the person cooperates with authorities. In many first-time or lower-level cases, penalties may include repayment plans, community service, or a criminal record rather than imprisonment. If you decide to report her, you can do so anonymously through Services Australia's fraud tip-off line. They investigate reports using data-matching tools, employer records, and even social media activity. While it's natural to feel conflicted, it's worth remembering that Centrelink fraud doesn't just affect the government. It affects all Australians who rely on a fair and functioning welfare system. If you are concerned about reporting your friend, perhaps as a first step you should express concern to her about what she is doing and that it could be fraud. This conversation might be the push she needs to do the right thing, that is, start reporting her earnings and transitioning off benefits.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Identity of man's body in river solved
An unknown man whose remains were found in a river on the Sunshine Coast more than a year ago has been identified as Victorian man Alexander Marinis. On November 30 2023, about 8am, members of the public were walking down the Maroochy River when they saw the body of a man floating in the water under the Talep Bridge. Police were called to the scene and deemed the death as non-suspicious. A year-and-a-half after the man's remains were located, his identity remained unknown – until now. On Monday, Queensland Police confirmed the identity of the man as Alexander Marinis, 47, from Yarram in Victoria. He did not have any identification documents or a wallet at the time of his death. The man had no identifiable markers such as tattoos, dental implants or piercings. Police divers searched the river for any clues leading to the man's identity. On the bank of the river, police discovered some of the man's belongings, including a water bottle, jacket, shoes, an ATP-branded backpack and a receipt for a purchase made at a Bunnings three days before his remains were found. CCTV footage revealed the man purchased items at the hardware shop using a brown wallet that was not recovered at the scene. Police confirmed the man's identity was confirmed after a Centrelink staff member recognised his face from an ABC article. 'Great lengths were taken to identify the man over this period: door knocking, DNA testing, some work with Interpol around some surgical artefacts in the man's knee, which resulted in worldwide inquiries,' Queensland Police Detective Senior Sergeant Robert Lowry told reporters. 'The final piece of the puzzle was the DNA from the family, which led to a positive identification of the male.' The man's death has been deemed non-suspicious, and the 47-year-old's remains were returned to his family. Detective Yowry thanked those who assisted in the search to identify Mr Marinis. 'I sincerely thank the media and the public for their assistance in this investigation,' he said. 'A person, who had previously dealt with the man in a professional capacity in Maroochydore, recognised the man after seeing an appeal on the news and contacted police to share the information. 'This information led us to being able to confirm his identify through DNA testing and contact the man's family. 'I also want to thank the detectives that worked on this investigation with such perseverance and tenacity.' His mother Maree Bergamo said she learnt of her son's death on February 13, about 14 months after his remains were found in the river. She said her son was an 'intelligent, decent and loyal person' who frequently preferred to be on his own. She explained that he cut himself off from family, prompting her to hire a private investigator to track him down. He moved to Queensland and died a few weeks later. He was laid to rest in a private funeral last month, police said. 'Alex was a loner, sadly,' Ms Bergamo said at his funeral, per the ABC. 'Alex will always be remembered as a kind, decent and law-abiding person. 'He was a non-drinker and non-smoker. Alex was always loved and adored by my family. 'It's tragic that he didn't seek help.' Lifeline 13 11 14 Suicide call back service 1300 659 467 Beyond Blue 1300 22 46 36 Mensline Australia 1300 78 99 78 Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 1800 Respect 1800 737 732 13YARN 13 92 76 (For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people)
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Miami Herald
Woman has boyfriend kill her stepdad for life insurance payout, Florida cops say
A woman increased her stepdad's life insurance policy to $750,000, then 16 days later had her boyfriend kill him, Florida authorities said. A jury convicted 48-year-old Perry Stanley of first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, the State Attorney's Office for the Seventh Judicial Circuit announced June 26. His girlfriend at the time, 36-year-old Myesha Williams, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder with a firearm in January, Volusia County records show. She awaits sentencing. Williams' attorney told McClatchy News that Williams testified on behalf of the state twice during Stanley's trial. Stanley's attorney didn't respond to comment June 27. The conviction comes more than six years after the couple was accused of conspiring to kill 59-year-old Terrence Gibson for money, according to the Volusia Sheriff's Office. In 2018, Williams took out a $25,000 life insurance policy on her stepfather, who helped raise her and was married to Williams' mother before she died, officers with the DeLand Police Department wrote in an arrest affidavit. When Williams took out the policy, she told the insurance agent not to worry about adding Gibson's daughter to the plan, listing herself as the sole beneficiary, according to investigators who obtained a recording of the conversation. But 16 days before her stepfather was shot four times and killed, she called the insurance agency again, police said. She wanted to increase her stepdad's policy from $25,000 to $750,000, according to police. She asked what the payout would be if her stepdad died in an accident versus if he was killed, and how she would make her claim, police said. The insurance agent told her if someone hurt him, the payout would be $150,000, according to investigators. Prosecutors said Stanley impersonated Gibson on the phone to confirm the policy details. The day Gibson died, Williams told detectives she picked up her stepdad and they visited her mom's grave, then she brought him to a vacant field known as a hangout spot called the Watering Hole, police said. Not long after, witnesses said a man wearing all black and a ski mask walked up to Gibson and shot him multiple times in the back before fleeing, police said. A K-9 tracked the scent, and investigators found a dropped cell phone in the sand next to a set of footprints, according to police. Photos on the phone led police to believe it belonged to Perry Stanley. Phone records show that seven minutes before Gibson was killed, Stanley called Williams and spoke to her for three minutes, according to prosecutors and police. Williams said her boyfriend was named Tim, and when shown a photo of Stanley, she said that wasn't Tim, according to police. Stanley also initially denied knowing Williams, detectives said. Phone records contradicted that story, showing the pair was frequently in the same location in the 10-day period leading up to Gibson's death, according to police. But during an interview nearly eight months after the killing, Williams changed her story, and when shown a photo of Stanley again, she said that was her boyfriend she had been referring to as Tim, investigators said. She said in the September 2019 interview that the day Gibson died at the Watering Hole, she was driving away from the area when she saw Stanley walk up behind Gibson with a gun, then she heard shots, according to police. Police said they learned the couple met up after Gibson was killed, and Stanley burned his clothes. A few days later, Williams called the insurance company to tell them her stepfather had been killed, according to investigators. In October 2020, a grand jury indicted both of them on first-degree murder charges. DeLand is in Volusia County, about a 40-mile drive north from Orlando.
