Bondoola’s Sara Hof finds huge python in chook pen

A Central Queensland woman got the shock of her life finding a huge python in her chook pen after returning home from dinner.

Sara Hof from Bondoola returned home from dinner to find a huge python in her chook pen.

A Central Queensland woman got the shock of her life when she returned home from dinner to find a huge python in her chook pen.

Sara Hof from Bondoola had been out for dinner on Friday when she returned home and found a large python, about two metres in length, when she went to lock her chickens up for the night.

“I went out for dinner; I lock my chooks up in the evening but had forgotten this night, and came home to lock them up,” she said.

Sara Hof from Bondoola returned home from dinner to find a huge python in her chook pen.

“It was about 9.30pm and I was feeling a bit sleepy, then I saw the snake staring at me, with about eight chooks still perched on the higher perch.

“My initial reaction was ‘Oh no, why didn’t I lock my chooks up earlier?’ and ‘Please don’t have eaten my blue mottled chooks’ and then it was ‘How big is this snake?’.”

After looking in the cage, Ms Hof realised three of her chickens were missing, with the python looking like it’d had a feed.

“I grabbed the remaining chooks out; three mid-sized chooks were missing. Then I shut the snake in the cage and messaged the snake catcher to come and get it the next morning.

“I’ve had snakes before but not in the higher cages … The snake catcher said it was likely a female, judging by its size.”

It’s not the first time in recent months a python has found its way into a local birdcage to find a feed.

Sara Hof from Bondoola returned home from dinner to find a huge python in her chook pen

In November, young animal lover Maximus Jozeljic was left shocked, yet surprisingly excited when he discovered a coastal carpet python curled up in his pet budgie’s cage at his home in Frenchville.

The python had eaten his pet budgie, Sybil.

Rockhampton snake catcher Svetlana Mitin from CQ Snake Catchers and Wildlife Services said they had received many call-outs for pythons that had been found in bird cages, chicken coops and guinea pig pens in recent months.

Originally published as Bondoola’s Sara Hof finds huge python in chook pen