A 20-year-old hillwalker was airlifted to hospital after falling from height while fleeing a snake in a remote Perthshire glen. The Tayside Mountain Rescue Team were called to assist the man on Glen Tilt after the alarm was raised at around 11.20am on Tuesday.
Rescue operation
Due to the man's isolated location, rescuers requested assistance from a Coastguard rescue helicopter, which carried out a dramatic operation to lift the injured walker from the steep hillside. Video released by the mountain rescue team shows the casualty being carefully winched into the helicopter while suspended above a significant drop.
In a post on social media, Tayside Mountain Rescue Team said: "The team were called out again this afternoon alongside our colleagues from Police Scotland Tayside, this time high in Glen Tilt to assist a hillwalker who had suffered an unfortunate accident while attempting to avoid a snake. Given the casualty's remote location, we requested assistance from Coastguard Rescue Helicopter R853, who quickly located the casualty and carried out a successful winch extraction. We'd like to wish the casualty a speedy recovery... and hope the snake is doing just fine too!"
Online reaction
The rescue prompted discussion online, with one person commenting that they had been in the area on the same day and had also been startled after spotting two snakes. The species of snake involved has not been confirmed. It is not known what injuries the hillwalker sustained, but the casualty was successfully evacuated by helicopter after the incident.
Police statement
Police Scotland said officers were called to the incident at around 11.20am on Tuesday. A spokesperson said: "Around 11.20am on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, we were called to assist with an injured walker in Glen Tilt. Emergency services attended and a 20-year-old man was taken by air ambulance for treatment."
