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A girl becomes a lifesaver for her pet.
Her guinea pig is attacked by a snake - the 12-year-old bravely intervenes.
An Australian schoolgirl has become famous after CCTV at her Queensland home captured her heroic efforts to save her guinea pig MaxiBon from the clutches of a wild snake - by grabbing the snake by its tail and swinging it around.
Girl (12) swings large snake in the air like a lasso - to save her guinea pig
Rosie Wightman, 12, is seen in the silent video footage cleaning her pet's cage in her garden before spotting the rodent in the clutches of a snake hidden in the bushes.
With presence of mind - and fearlessness - Rosie grabs the snake and spins it wildly before her parents and pet dogs hear the commotion and run outside.
“It was crazy,” her father, Luke Wightman, said in an interview on Zoom.
“When I saw her lasso it, I was really scared.”
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Luckily, Rosie is unharmed, and Luke - still in his pajamas - manages to grab the snake and throw it aside, allowing the guinea pig to scurry away, startled but largely unharmed.
The family can be seen comforting Rosie, who finally manages to get MaxiBon out of the bushes and wrap him in her arms.
The incident made headlines after Rosie's uncle, an Australian radio presenter, posted the video on his Instagram page.
Rosie's mother Grace said that after the incident, they focused on "comforting Rosie and having a family moment," wondering if anyone would believe what had just happened - until they realized that their security camera was recording the entire incident had recorded.
12-year-old defends her guinea pig against snake attacks
It was "wild" to hear a "heart-shaking scream" from Rosie and see her "swarming around with a...snake attached to her guinea pig," Grace added in the interview on Thursday.
All family members were already in their pajamas and preparing for the week ahead, she added, when the line broke out.
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Rosie, who was not immediately available for comment because she was already asleep when The
Washington Post
called, told Australia's
7NEWS
that she acted on "instinct."
A snake tried to eat a 12-year-old's pet in Australia.
But the girl bravely intervened.
© Wirestock/Imago
“I didn’t even think about it, I just thought, take the snake, take the snake,” she said.
She heard her guinea pig “constantly screaming” as the snake seemed to wrap itself around its neck.
After she spun the snake around, the reptile loosened its grip on MaxiBon's neck and instead grabbed his leg with its jaws, she said.
“I’m really glad my guinea pig is still alive,” she added.
Grace said MaxiBon, a brown-and-white mixed guinea pig named after a popular ice cream snack, "has never received so many cuddles and treats" since the incident.
Guinea pigs are popular pets that are known for being sociable and can live up to seven years, according to the Humane Society of the United States.
They can make a variety of sounds, including whistling and purring, to communicate and require gentle care and exercise.
Some people keep snakes as pets, but many species can be dangerous to humans - especially in Australia, which is home to some of the most venomous snakes in the world.
And experts say that while Rosie's behavior was brave, it was also risky.
Expert warns after girl's brave action: "Not a safe way to deal with snakes"
"I can say with certainty that this is not a 'safe' way to deal with snakes, although I understand the girl's panic and her reflex to save her pet," said Steven Hall, snake venom expert and lecturer in pharmacology from Lancaster University in England, on Thursday.
“The only thing that made me breathe a little easier was the fact that the snake was preoccupied with the pet in its mouth and the girl was holding it by the end of its tail, making it harder and less likely for the snake to turn around and close it instead bite!"
Despite her heroism, Hall said, "the unfortunate reality is that in this scenario, it probably would have been best and safest for the girl and her family to leave the snake and pet alone."
It is not clear from the video which species of snake attacked MaxiBon.
However, the Wightmans believe it is likely that it is a python, a conclusion that Mark O'Shea, a snake expert and professor of herpetology at the University of Wolverhampton in Britain, believes is plausible.
Pythons feed on small mammals, and although they have no venom, they can kill their prey with a tight grip.
Other possibilities include elapids, a family of highly venomous snakes, or brown tree snakes, which must chew their prey to inject their venom, O'Shea added.
“Normally I would frown upon someone swinging a snake or other type of animal in circles, but this is an exception;
she saves her pet,” he said.
“She is a very brave and happy young lady.”
Hall has some advice for others who might find themselves in a similar situation.
Guinea pig survives snake bite – MaxiBon is doing “totally well”
“I recommend getting away from the snake as quickly as possible,” he said.
“Call the authorities so that someone with the necessary skills and tools to handle venomous snakes can be brought in to remove the snake.
However, he urged people not to be afraid of snakes, but instead to treat them "with a healthy respect" by giving them space.
Luckily, in this particular case, everything turned out well – for all species involved.
MaxiBon is doing "totally well" and enjoying his newfound fame, Luke said - and even had a glamorous photo op with local media on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Luke said he had thrown the snake into a neighbor's yard before later going over to remove it.
He found the snake “wrapped in a bamboo tree.
She was in perfect shape.
... She was doing really well.”
About the author
Adela Suliman
is a breaking news reporter in the London bureau of The Washington Post.
We are currently testing machine translations. This article was automatically translated from English into German.
This article was first published in English on February 1, 2024 at the “Washingtonpost.com” - as part of a cooperation, it is now also available in translation to readers of the IPPEN.MEDIA portals.