When the Steyr reptile expert Hans Esterbauer is asked for help by fellow citizens, it is usually because they are afraid of snakes or spiders, which he has to catch and take with him. It was different with Erich R. (71) from Unterlaussa (Upper Austria).
“He contacted me out of concern for a snake’s welfare — something like this very rarely happens,” Esterbauer says. R. had found a badly injured Aesculapian snake on the meadow next to his house, which had been run over by a motor mower. “The end of her tail was nearly cut and she also had a massive head injury,” the retiree explains. The fact that the reptile kept its mouth open, but did not stick out a tongue, made it clear that the injuries were serious.
“The left half of the head and eye were crushed and the tongue may also have been affected,” confirms Esterbauer.
Vet frees snake from suffering
R. put the viper in a grass-lined box and brought it to Esterbauer. “I saw that she can no longer be saved, but that she must be put out of her misery quickly,” said the expert. Neither of them had the heart to kill the snake itself. R. took her to a vet in Steyr, who had her put down professionally.
Source: Krone
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