COMMUNITY help is being sought to discover what happened to two endangered snakes found beheaded and hanging from a tree in Gunbower Forest.
A North Central Catchment Management Authority (CMA) field officer came across the Murray Darling carpet pythons hung over the branch of a tree in the northern end of the Gunbower Forest in late November.
North Central CMA project manager Adrian Martins said the find was of significant concern.
“Wildlife Officers from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) are investigating whether they were hit by a car, but the fact they were beheaded and strung over a tree suggests foul play is involved,” he said.
“To see one carpet python in the forest is a rare sight. To find two adults in the one area is remarkable. That is what makes this very disturbing.”
According to the CMA, carpet pythons are non-venomous and relatively harmless, unless you pick them up, when they only really bite to defend themselves.
They are one of the character species for the forest and are considered a regional treasure.
Mr Martins said authorities were looking into every possibility, including whether the snakes were dumped or accidentally killed.
“They are quite large, so if they were mating or fighting, they would have been very easy to see. That would have also made it impossible for them to get away” he said.
“By the time we found them they were too decayed to work out whether they had been shot or hacked with an axe or shovel, but the fact their heads were removed suggests it wasn’t an accident.
“The fear is these snakes have been killed and their heads taken as trophies.”
DELWP senior wildlife officer Brady Childs said all native wildlife in Victoria was protected under the Wildlife Act 1975.
“Any person who destroys threatened wildlife can be found guilty of an offence under Section 41(1) of the Wildlife Act 1975 which carries a maximum penalty of a fine up to $36,400 and/or two years imprisonment,” Mr Childs said. People with information about the incident are urged to contact DELWP on 136 186 and speak to a wildlife officer.
