By Alesha Capone
A tiger snake has been rescued from a rather sticky situation in Point Cook.
Veterinarian Karen Davies, from Direct Vet Services in Point Cook, said that Stewy the Snake Catcher (aka Stewart Gatt) brought a female snake into the practice yesterday morning.
Dr Davies said that Mr Gatt had retrieved the snake from a building site in Point Cook, after a tradesman found the it trapped in some heavy-duty, fabric-style tape.
Dr Davies said the snake must have panicked after finding itself caught in the tape.
“She’s got herself stuck, thrown herself around in an attempt to get free and wound herself up like pussy’s bow,” Dr Davies said.
She said that Mr Gatt was able to cut some of the tape away from the snake, but not all of it.
Dr Davies said that when the snake arrived at her surgery, only about two inches of its face and neck were sticking out of the tape.
Staff at the vet clinic sponged a product, usually used to remove adhesive bandages, onto the snake in order to get the rest of the tape off.
Dr Davies said they then called Mr Gatt, who came back to collect the snake and set it free in the bush.
Dr Davies said that Mr Gatt had brought nine or 10 injured tiger snakes to visit her in recent months but that the taped-up snake “was a whole new ball game”.
She said some of the other snakes brought into the clinic had been injured by dogs or cats, while another got stuck in some PVC pipe.
Dr Davies said that some of the snakes had to be put down due to the extent of their injuries, but two had been released back into the wild and another one was in rehab.
Mr Gatt said that it was illegal to kill snakes, as they are a protected species. He said anyone who spotted a snake on their property should call a licensed snake removalist.
