Dad killed by one of the world's most venomous snakes in front of horrified wife
A dad-of-two has died after being bitten by a one of the world's most venomous snakes in Queensland, Australia.
The snake struck the man, said to be in his sixties, on his hand at Lockyer Valley, which is around 65 miles west of Brisbane before 10am Saturday.
The father died at his home before paramedics could reach him.
Toxicology tests have been performed but the species of snake is yet to be confirmed. Officials suspect it was likely an Eastern Brown - one of the most-venomous snakes in the world.
Michelle Vedredi, who lived next to the bite victim, told local media she received a number of calls from friends and family after the incident.
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Neighbours heard the wife scream after her husband was bitten (File photo) (Getty Images)“They were asking if I was OK because the helicopter had been and there were four ambulances and cop cars,” Ms Vedredi told the Courier Mail.
“Someone told me they could hear his wife screaming through the fence for help before ambulances got there.”
The neighbour said she'd seen the deadly species in her own garden just days earlier, which prompted her to move her dog inside so it didn't get bitten.
"I was shocked by how fast it moved", she said.
The man had previously owned pythons so knew how to handle snakes, Ms Vedredi said.
It's currently snake season in Queensland, which runs from October to April (Getty Images)Heather McMurray, who works for Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers, says snake season is at its peak in Queensland. It usually runs from October until April.
“The heat and the humidity is certainly bringing (snakes) out – the pythons are loving the humidity and the brown snakes are loving the hot, dry days,” she said.
She added that the brown snake is the most-lethal serpent in the state.
Another catcher, Chris Jennings, said the animals are being driven out of their habitats by man-made housing developments.
He said: “Anytime you have developments there’s a change to that, that upsets them and they start moving around, to try and remap the area.”
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A view of Brisbane from a helicopter (Getty Images)Mick Bender, who works catching the creatures for National Geographic in Australia, warned that people living close to new developments should keep an eye out for the serpents.
They end up having to seek shelter in yards or sheds, he added.
Though the Eastern Browns are usually shy and avoid interacting with people, confrontations can happen when they are disturbed.
Mr Bender added that gardeners should make a lot of noise, using a stick to poke anywhere they plan to put their hands if you can't see the area.
The creatures will move on if "you let them know you're coming", he said.
Queensland Police are preparing a report for the coroner. The death is not being treated as suspicious.
As new developments pop up all over Queensland, the Eastern Brown is being driven into yards and sheds (Getty Images)Just last week, a Brit narrowly escaped with his life after getting a "dry bite" from the lethal brown snake while walking barefoot through tall grass in Australia.
TikToker Ben was holidaying on Fraser Island, Queensland, with his partner Georgia when they decided to hire a car and do some off-road driving.
They spent the first day travelling along a beach in their pink 4-wheel-drive before setting up to camp overnight, sharing their sleeping quarters with "a couple of dingoes and a few crabs".
The following morning, Ben launched his drone to capture the stunning scenery, but it crashed into a tree growing at the top of a sand dune, which was surrounded by long grass.
As he waded through the grass, he felt something snap at his ankle.
Recalling the attack on TikTok, he said: "Right, so I just got bitten by a venomous snake in Australia. Quick story time for you.
"I had to walk back down through this patch of grass and I stepped on something dark and I felt something hit my ankle.
"I got back to the truck, saw the fang marks and then it sort of sunk in what had happened. We had no signal."
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