Last September, a groundskeeper at a school in Australia was taken aback when they noticed a large, scaly figure napping peacefully atop a piece of wooden playground equipment. Upon closer inspection, the groundskeeper realized the unexpected visitor was a coastal carpet python. In need of expert assistance, the groundskeeper called for backup, and snake rescuers from Snake Rescue Sunny Coast soon arrived on the scene.
The rescuers weren’t particularly surprised by the sighting.
“It’s not unusual to find these snakes all across the Sunshine Coast,” explained rescuer Ryan Fuller. “In this instance, the snake just decided this was a good place to sleep during the day. They are a nocturnal species, so it would have stayed there until nightfall.” Coastal carpet pythons are non-venomous and can be quite large, with some weighing up to 20 pounds, according to the Snake Rescue Sunny Coast website.
Determined to move the snake from the high-traffic area, rescuer Dimity Maxfield carefully climbed the play equipment and gently relocated the python to safety.
“These are pretty placid snakes, so there wasn’t much resistance,” Fuller noted. “[Maxfield] did have a classroom of kids come out and watch, though.”
Soon after, the snake was released into the nearby bushland, slithering back into the grass and trees where it belonged.