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A heroic husband who was tragically killed after saving his wife from an eastern brown snake was looking forward to celebrating his 38th wedding anniversary with his partner.
Father-of-two Vincent Price sprang into action just before 10am on Saturday after his wife saw the snake slither through their house while the couple watched TV at their Eileen Court home in Kensington Grove – in the Lockyer Valley of south-east Queensland.
Mr. Price, in his sixties, was an experienced snake trader and had had a number of pet pythons, so he immediately grabbed the reptile.
Although the initial capture went well, disaster struck when Mr. Price attempted to release the eastern brown snake, the world’s second most venomous snake, back into the wild.
Father-of-two Vincent Price was killed by an eastern brown snake (above) on Saturday after his wife spotted it at their home in Queensland
“Then it had to turn around and bit him, he got in the car. And came straight home and collapsed,” neighbor Michelle Vedredi told the Courier Mail.
His wife called triple-0 did CPR. But it was too late. Ambos came and they also tried CPR.’
Ms Vedredi said another neighbor told her they heard the man’s wife ‘scream for help through the fence before the ambulances arrived’.
Neighbors in Eileen Court reported seeing a number of deadly brown snakes in the area, with one claiming to have seen four in recent weeks.
Eastern brown snakes are the second most dangerous venomous snake in the world and are known to be very aggressive.
The snake’s venom can kill a person in half an hour with the effects of paralysis, uncontrollable bleeding and difficulty breathing.
There has been an increase in snake sightings in Australia as the country faces the La Nina weather system for the third time in a row.
Neighbors said they had seen an increased number of brown snakes around Lockyer Valley (above) in the weeks before the attack
One of Mr. Price’s neighbors said they saw four brown snakes before he was attacked (pictured, Price’s street)
Lockyer Valley snake catcher Chris Jennings told Daily Mail Australia that land development in the area has meant that snakes’ natural habitats have been disrupted, causing them to seek shelter elsewhere.
He said the recent warm weather had also contributed to snakes seeking shelter, including in people’s homes.
However, he stressed that it was more important to be educated about snakes than to be afraid of them.
“Snakes don’t really want to attack people,” he said.
“The best thing people can do is learn about the snakes in their area and get first aid training.”
The last reported fatality in Queensland was in November after a woman in her 50s was bitten in North Burnett.
Queensland Police confirmed a report would be prepared for the coroner.
