Aussie fishermen scramble as venomous intruder climbs into boat: 'Don't touch it'
A group of fishermen enjoying a quiet afternoon 'bobbing around' in the middle of an Aussie lake on Thursday had their tranquility interrupted as they spotted something swimming furiously toward them.
The trio couldn't believe their eyes as they watched the roughly metre-long tiger snake make a beeline for their boat at Lake Barrington, in Tasmania's north. Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, local snake catcher Ben Hyde recounted the scary scene.
'They spotted the tiger snake coming across the lake towards them, and it got to the boat and decided to hop in for a break,' he said. The concerned fishermen tried to knock the animal off the outboard motor and back into the water using an oar, but the stubborn critter wouldn't be denied.
'It persisted and held on and ended up climbing over the edge of the boat,' Hyde said, adding the snake slithered down into the storage fuel area to hide.
'Everyone moved to the front of the boat — the snake's sitting at the back of the boat — and they cruised on back to the jetty or pontoon, tied it up and hopped out.'
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The men then called Hyde, who also works as a beekeeper, to come and remove the unwanted guest.
'I literally just knocked off work, sat down at home, and then my phone rang. I initially tried to pass the call on because they were a good hour away from me, but they couldn't get hold of the person I gave the number to so they called me back and I had to rush out there,' the snake catcher explained.
Luckily, the tiger snake – which are highly venomous – appeared to simply want 'a lift to the other side', and didn't put up much of a fight when Hyde 'did a bit of poking around' with his snake hook.
'It moved around so his tail popped out in front of me. I grabbed hold of that, then it's a gentle pull, a bit of a wiggle and he came on out.' The snake was released back into nearby bushland.
A keen fly fisher himself, Hyde told Yahoo he has heard of three similar incidents of tiger snakes trying to slither into boats and kayaks at separate lakes across the state this summer.
'It's normal, it is their environment, their habitat. They love to live around water. That's how they get their frogs, fish and tadpoles,' he said, urging anyone who does encounter a snake on 'land or in water' to not approach it.
'Don't touch it and everyone will be fine. Obviously, if it's in your backyard and it's giving you trouble, call a snake catcher immediately. Don't try and kill it or handle it yourself — it's the best way to get bitten.'
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