A Brisbane resident experienced a heart-stopping wake-up call this week when she discovered a large python coiled on top of her as she slept.
A Shocking Midnight Discovery
Rachel Bloor was asleep in her second-storey Brisbane home on Monday night when she felt a significant weight on her stomach and chest. Initially mistaking it for one of her dogs, she reached out to pet the animal. Her sense of touch, however, registered something smooth and unfamiliar shifting beneath her fingers. Switching on the lights revealed the terrifying truth: a 2.5-metre carpet python was curled up on her.
"He goes, 'Oh baby. Don't move. There is like a 2.5m python on you'," Ms Bloor recounted to the BBC, describing her husband's reaction. Her immediate concern was for her pets. "I thought if my Dalmatian realised that there's a snake there, it is gonna be carnage," she explained, prompting her to have her husband quickly remove the dogs from the room.
Keeping Calm and Carrying a Snake
Demonstrating remarkable composure, Ms Bloor then carefully extricated herself from the bed. "I sort of side shuffled out from under the covers," she said. Rather than panic or call for professional help, she took matters into her own hands. She guided the non-venomous constrictor back towards the window it had entered from.
The snake, she believes, had squeezed through the plantation shutters on her window. It was so large that part of its tail remained outside the shutter even while its body was curled on her. "I grabbed him, even then he didn't seem overly freaked out. He sort of just wobbled in my hand," Ms Bloor recalled, adding that she was more relieved it wasn't a toad, which she said "freak me out."
Why Snake Encounters Are Becoming More Frequent
Snake catcher Kurt Whyte told ABC News that snake activity has ramped up as the breeding season concludes and eggs begin to hatch. "Obviously with this hot weather we're seeing plenty of them getting out and about and basking in this sun," he said.
Mr Whyte clarified that snake populations aren't necessarily booming, but encounters with humans are increasing. This is largely due to bushland being cleared for new housing developments, forcing the reptiles to seek new habitats. "They have got to find places to live, and our backyards are offering the perfect habitat," he explained. He also warned that gaps in garage doors and other structures provide ideal entry points for snakes seeking shelter or prey.
The incident serves as a seasonal reminder for residents in coastal areas of Australia, where carpet pythons are common, to be vigilant and check for potential entry points into their homes.
