A pet dog had a lucky escape after a snake tried to make a meal out of her. Matilda, a small white dog, was rescued by her owner after a carpet python bit her at the family home in Brisbane, Australia.
Joshua Castle, owner of Josh's Snake Catching and Relocation, was called to the property on January 6. He told Newsweek the snake was approximately 5 feet long.
"Dogs aren't usually hunted by snakes, they would much rather rats/possums, but unfortunately dogs and cats are sometimes grabbed by snakes, especially ones that are small," he said.
In a Facebook post on January 6, he said Matilda was rescued by her owner, who had heard a commotion and went to see what was happening. "This carpet python decided to try and make a meal out of this poor little dog last night; thankfully the owner of the dog heard it happen, and immediately went to the rescue.
"We arrived, caught and relocated the snake. The dog will make a full recovery due to the owner's quick thinking."
Castle posted pictures of Matilda and the snake to his Facebook page. Photos show bite marks suffered by the dog. He told Newsweek that while he thinks the snake attacked the dog, it is also plausible that the dog was the aggressor and the snake was trying to defend itself. "We will never know exactly what happened," he said.
Carpet pythons are a large species of snake found across northern, eastern and southern Australia. They can grow up to 13 feet long, although most reach a maximum length of 8 feet.
They tend to feed on frogs, lizards, birds and small mammals. They are constrictors, killing their prey through suffocation. They are non-venomous and are not generally considered dangerous to humans, although a bite can cause lacerations and be painful.
While they are found in a range of habitats, including rainforests and coastal regions, the expansion of human developments means they are now regularly found in suburban gardens, sheds, lofts and outhouses.
Snake catchers are often called to people's homes where this species has spotted pets in cages. On January 9, Castle posted about a carpet python that had gotten into a birdcage and had eaten one of the inhabitants. On January 2, he was called to a property where he found a carpet python eating a chicken whole. "Unfortunately the chicken was too far gone," he said in a Facebook post.
