As Peter ventured into the depths of the forest, little did he know that his simple encounter with a colorful snake would soon propel him into a whirlwind of unforeseen events. With each passing moment, the unfolding tale would take on a life of its own.
Source: MisterStory
The young man accidentally revealed hidden truths and got his courage tested in ways he could never have imagined. Read on to hear the crazy and dramatic story of Peter and a wild snake, a story that was always meant to be hidden.
Nature Lover
Peter had always loved nature and animals though while all his friends wanted dogs and cats as pets, growing up, Peter begged to have a spider. His love for what most people call “creepy crawlies” made him feel like an outsider.
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His friends teased him about his pet rat, and most found it gross; even his parents had difficulty dealing with Peter’s love for bats, snakes, spiders, and more. But thankfully, as he grew up, Peter found more people like him and felt more at ease with his interests.
Forest Hikes
And one of the best ways Peter could enjoy his love of insects and more was to take long hikes in the forest. And while most people marveled at the trees, Peter’s eyes were glued to the ground looking for scorpions and lizards.
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He found them fascinating and regularly documented every animal he saw during his hikes. He even had an entire Instagram page dedicated to the pictures, and Peter had a few thousand people who followed him and loved his posts.
Spotted
Little did Peter know that during one such hike, the young man would have his life changed upside down, not in a good way. And it all started when Peter noticed something rustling in the dry leaves on the ground.
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Peter was already used to paying close attention to his surroundings and knew instinctively that only a small snake could move the leaves this way. And he was proven right when he saw it through the leaves.
Danger
Peter smiled, proud of his skills, but his smile completely disappeared when the snake surfaced from the leaves. The nature enthusiast had expected a common garden snake which he had seen hundreds of in the area, but this was nothing he had seen before.
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The snake had brightly colored, and its scales almost shined. The animal had a striped pattern made up of many colors. And while Peter had seen similar snakes online, they were usually found in aquatic locations or rainforests.
Was It Poisonous?
This snake was in a pine forest and was not in its natural habitat. He also knew just by the creature’s colors that it was poisonous. During his extensive research on snakes, Peter learned one essential thing.
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Nature had a built-in alarm system for snakes. The more brightly colored a snake was, the more likely it was to be poisonous. And this snake with its bright stripes was certainly poisonous, in Peter’s opinion.
Taking A Picture
Mindful to not disturb the animal, Peter quickly snapped pictures of the snake and jotted down details about the area it was found in, including the season. Peter wished he had service so he could google the animal immediately.
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But he was miles away from civilization and knew he would have to wait. Peter had no idea that taking these innocent pictures would soon bring him face-to-face with seedy authorities that would ruin his life.
Relaxed
While Peter was excited and on edge, the snake was the complete opposite. It seemed relaxed. This was unlike most wild snakes who were skittish and usually ran away when Peter approached them.
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This creature was comfortable around humans and continued its trek around the forest floor. Peter wondered if this snake was someone’s pet that had been released in the wild. That would explain why the animal felt out of place.
Posting Online
Peter looked around and even called out, hoping that whoever this snake belonged to was nearby and would return for it. But he was greeted by silence. And with the sun creeping down and daylight disappearing, Peter knew he had to return home.
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So, he quickly started the long walk back to his car, but he couldn’t get the image of the snake out of his mind. Peter had to know more about the species of this snake and how it had gotten there. So, as soon as he got connectivity, he posted pictures of the snake online and asked his followers for answers regarding the creature.
Removed
And after Peter had showered and had dinner, he picked his phone up to look through people’s comments about the snake but was shocked to see that his post had been removed.
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This was the first time Peter’s posts had been removed, and he wondered if he had violated any social media policies. He was sure he hadn’t. Posting pictures of snakes was someone Peter didn’t regularly do, and nothing like this had ever happened before.
Phone Call
It was getting late, and Peter was tired from the long hike, the strange snake, and his post being removed; the young man had had enough. So, he quickly started getting ready for bed.
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But Peter had no time to rest. His home phone started ringing loudly. The young man lived alone, and nobody he knew called him at this time, especially not his home phone. And by the time he got there, it stopped ringing. And just as Peter started to walk away, he heard his cell phone ringing from his bedroom.
Authorities
This time, he was able to pick up the call. The person on the other end had a deep and authoritative voice and immediately asked Peter to identify himself. And once Peter had given his full name, the person on the other end explained that they were calling on behalf of the local wildlife protection authorities.
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It was close to midnight, and Peter thought it was very suspicious that the wildlife protection service would call at this hour. And he was sure they were also calling his home phone.
Strange Details
The person got straight to the point and asked Peter if he had seen a particular colorful snake in the forest today, and when the young man explained he had, the man on the phone started to sound agitated.
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And then the strangest thing happened, the caller repeated Peter’s home address to him and asked him to confirm his location. They also asked if Peter had brought the snake home with him. And if the young man had any more pictures of the animal.
Protection
It was clear Peter had gotten himself tangled into something bigger, and whoever was calling wasn’t a simple phone clerk at the local wildlife protection. And although Peter was on edge during the call, he felt the situation could get messier if he didn’t answer the questions.
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He wasn’t just being asked questions; Peter felt as if he was being interrogated. But it seemed like the caller was satisfied that the young man hadn’t brought the snake with him. And next, I instructed Peter to meet a ranger first thing in the morning at the start of the same forest trail he took today.
Run
While Peter was confused about this turn of events, the caller made it seem like he didn’t have much choice. So, he agreed to follow the caller’s instructions. And the next morning, Peter arrived at the trail bright and early.
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He had arrived early to outsmart these “authorities,” but to his surprise, there were already two rangers waiting, but with them was an army escort complete with machine guns! Peter was immediately alarmed and looked around, ready to run!
First Names
Peter was startled by the situation that was happening now, and he was also wondering how a simple snake could warrant such a drastic and extreme reaction. The men approached the scared Peter and introduced themselves only by their first names.
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They also explained that they were there on behalf of the government and wished for Peter to take them to the exact location where he had found the snake. Again, the young man felt he had no option but to comply.
Waiting
So, the group slowly walked to the spot where Peter had found the snake, and on the way, he tried to explain to the men that the odds were that the animal would not still be there. As if waiting for them.
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It would likely have gone deeper into the forest in search of food, but the men ignored Peter’s input and instructed him to guide them to the spot quickly. And when the group approached the area, Peter was left puzzled.
Visible
The snake was easily visible from afar due to its colors and lay perfectly still in the spot Peter had left him in. At first, the young man thought the animal had died, but the snake quickly moved and slithered away behind a tree as the group approached him.
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The men from the army quickly started shouting instructions to the rangers and began the process of capturing the snake. The group created a circle around the animal, ensuring it couldn’t escape.
Bitten
And all Peter could do was stare! He had no idea why the AArmycared this much about a snake. While it was fascinating and beautiful, it didn’t warrant this commotion level. Peter’s train of thought was abrupted by a sharp, searing pain in his shin.
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Looking down, he saw the colorful snake attached to him, with its teeth wrapped around him. One of the rangers quickly grabbed the snake and pulled it off Peter, but the damage was done. The young man could feel the poison seeping into his bloodstream.
Cured
With his life flashing before him, Peter couldn’t believe what was happening. He felt nauseous and hot. But just as quickly as the snake had bitten him, he noticed that one of the army men had jabbed a sharp injection into his arm.
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It turns out it was antivenom! The army and rangers calmed Peter down and explained everything to him. They told him that this snake had somehow escaped from a secure facility, and Peter was the first person to have seen the animal in weeks. And while Peter was left scared and traumatized, the men assured him he had nothing to worry about. But they forced Peter to sound a non-disclosure agreement which ensured that he couldn’t reveal the location or pictures of the snake anymore.