Deadly Snake Caught In Airport Security Scanner, See It Happen
Security cameras caught an Eastern brown snake in an Australian airport.
A deadly brown snake was caught by airport security this week, courtesy of the world’s foremost snake exporter, Australia. A Facebook post depicting the snake’s skeleton lighting up an X-ray machine like a slithering menace of Christmas bulbs went viral Monday morning after Adelaide airport officials found the venomous creature in the basement parking lot of the building. The snake in the airport, which turned out to be an eastern brown snake, is common to the area but highly dangerous. It was secured by airport officials in a box and stuffed into a security scanner until a professional snake catcher could arrive.
The post, which was shared on the social media platform by the official page of the Australian Federal Police, advised citizens to be aware of the threat of brown snakes, while also cracking some jokes and animal puns in the comments.
Many Facebook users responded to the post with wisecracks referencing topics ranging from Schrödinger’s box to the snake’s chosen Harry Potter house. Regardless of the seemingly flippant response, the snake had airport officials on edge all morning.
No official reports can confirm whether or not any airport patrons had the presence of mind to shout the famed Samuel L. Jackson quote “I’m tired of these mother****ing snakes on this mother****ing plane!” from the aptly titled Snakes on a Plane, but we can only hope. Of course, the reckless reptile never made it all the way to the plane because it had neither a handler nor the proper paperwork necessary to board.
It also didn’t have the opposable thumbs required to hand over the paperwork to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, so the quote may have needed tweaking to remain relevant anyway.
Eastern brown snakes are known to be highly venomous, making them responsible for more fatal injuries than any other native Australian snake species. The snake found slithering between parked cars at Adelaide airport contains a powerful neurotoxin that paralyzes the nerves within the heart and progressively suffocates any unlucky hiker or holiday vacationer who dares to cross paths with the snake and sustain a bite.
The snake’s bite can lead to cardiac arrest, kidney damage, convulsions, and heaps of other side effects that would surely ruin your impending flight plans.
Snake sightings across Australia have been higher than usual this year after an unseasonably wet few months in spring led to the country experiencing a plague of mice. The snake catcher responsible for liberating the writhing traveler from the security scanner explained to local news outlets that he receives well over 20 calls per day on average asking him to de-snake a public space or private residence. This number increases with the weather, as the cold-blooded creatures seek to beat the heat by taking refuge inside the homes of local residents.
While Eastern browns may not be quite as outwardly terrifying as Indonesian Pythons, swallowing women whole like a rip in the space-time continuum, it is important to note that they can get into your home through very small seams under doorways and windows. Australian federal police are advising everyone in snake-friendly areas such as the airport to double-check and seal all entrances as the weather gets hotter.
