A lucky unlucky python

 I was very surprised when I did my morning inspection of the Lizard Palace to find this poor young carpet python caught up in the bird netting that I have dangling down in front of the Palace to keep kookaburras and other predatory birds out. Somehow the python had managed to crawl in through the mesh and entangled itself quite badly. There was no way it could have got itself free and it took me about ten minutes to cut it free. It was very placid the whole time and only struck at me once.

And here it is free and unharmed and crawling through the base of some tree fern fronds in the garden near the Chookery. This bird netting us often used up here to 'screen out' snakes from under houses. In fact it had been used at our place by previous owners. The poor snakes get entangled in it like this poor fellow and then either die a slow death or wait until someone comes along to kill them with a shovel. I think I might have to rethink how I keep birds out of the Lizard Palace. It was the smallest carpet python we have seen at Larnook and it's great to know that they are breeding close by.