A young snake enthusiast from Brisbane is fighting for his life in hospital after being bitten by a deadly inland taipan snake he’d been keeping as a pet.
Snake handler and breeder Nathan Chetcuti, 19, is believed to have been putting the snake back in its enclosure when it bit him. Nathan is certainly no stranger to snakes as a python breeder with a menagerie of reptiles in his care.
However this particular breed is dubbed the ‘fierce snake’ for a reason. The inland taipan’s poison can kill you in less than 45 minutes but Nathan’s father was there at the time and immediately called the emergency services.
Inland taipans are legal to privately own in Australia, providing the owner has the correct reptile licence.
Nathan remains in intensive care.
