Video Shows Giant Python in Elementary School, Removed by Snake Catcher 

A snake catcher was called into action in Queensland, Australia, last week, when a huge carpet python showed up in the window of a local elementary school. The experienced handler and his team caught the removal on video and posted it to social media, where they had previously found viral fame for their reptile relocation efforts. Read on to find out why this removal got complicated, and how the snake catcher advises you to deal with a fear of snakes if you have one.

Stuart McKenzie, of Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7, posted a video to Facebook showing what happened when he was called out to a local school Friday. "We headed over to a local school where a rather healthy carpet python was hanging out in the windows of the main hallway," wrote McKenzie. "A few of the teachers and students didn't feel comfortable with it being there, so we headed out and relocated it." Carpet pythons aren't venomous and average six to eight feet in length. Keep reading to see the video.

McKenzie said the snake "didn't come out easily" as it had hidden behind louvers on the window that made it difficult to grab. Ultimately, McKenzie cut through a screen to reach the snake. His pursuit was interrupted by a ringing cell phone, but ultimately he was able to drop the reptile which appeared to be a few meters long—into a bag and release it back into the wild, away from nervous students and teachers. "The best thing for the kids, the students and the snake is to get it out of the school and into the bush," he said.

McKenzie has become a social media star in his home country, UPI reports. The veteran of the Queensland zoo started posting photos and video of his adventures, which led to a starring role in the reality series Aussie Snake Wranglers. Snakes commonly find their way into houses Down Under. "I've caught them inside ovens, tucked up inside fridges, I've caught them under beds—even under someone's pillow, or tucked in behind the pillows," he said. "You could walk around your house and point at any object or any area of your house and I've probably caught a snake there."

McKenzie told UPI he'd had some "close calls" with snakes but nothing too dangerous. "I have been bitten by a yellow-face whip snake, which is a mildly venomous snake, it didn't really do anything," he said. "And also a brown tree snake, which is also mildly venomous. I've had some very close calls with browns and red-bellies, but thankfully, no bites."

McKenzie believes the best thing people can do to protect themselves from snakes is to learn about them. "People think snakes will chase them," he told UPI. "And we try and drill that into people that they don't. Snakes will advance at someone, they'll defend themselves, but that all comes down to their defensive behavior, they're not actively chasing someone."