A rather disturbing video of children using a dead snake as a skipping rope has gone viral on social media. The video is from Australia’s Woorabinda, located about two hours from Rockhampton in Central Queensland, with the children giggling as they jump over the snake while being recorded by what sounds like an adult supervising them.
“Show me that, show me what it is,” the woman in the video, behind the camera is heard saying. As the kids jumped and giggled, one of the boys said it was a black-headed python. It remains unclear if the python was dead before the children started using it for their merriment.
As the video went viral, attracting hundreds of views on social media, the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation raised the alarm.
“We condemn this inappropriate behaviour and will investigate the incident,” a spokesperson said.
“The killing or injuring of native animals should be reported to the Department of the Environment, Science, Tourism and Innovation or the RSPCA.”
Australian Aboriginal children use dead python as a skipping rope in Woorabinda, Queensland pic.twitter.com/1VfIdL3hIs
— Clown Down Under 🤡 (@clowndownunder) March 10, 2025
Social media reacts
A section of social media users also took offense to the video, stating that the snake deserved a proper burial, instead of being flung around.
“It should have had a burial with dignity in their sacred land,” said one user while another added: “It’s not a problem. They are connected to the land and know what they are doing. It’s their culture. What is disturbing is the fact that they are out playing after dark.”
A third commented: “Condoning this behaviour in the young is one of the reasons they become callous teenagers and adults with no feelings or empathy for the pain and suffering caused to both humans and animals.”
Notably, the maximum fine for a person found guilty of killing or injuring a black-headed python in Australia is Rs 6.9 lakh ($7,952). The black-headed pythons are one of the largest snakes in the Down Under country, native to the northern regions and protected under the Nature Conservation Act 1992. They are non-venomous species that can grow to a length of 3.5 meters, killing the prey with constriction.
In most cases, they are docile and avoid confrontations with humans.