Queensland cops give giant snake a wide berth

An enormous snake that blocked the path of two Queensland police officers has become a social media star.

The giant scrub python was found by officers during a night patrol at the remote town of Wujal Wujal, 350kms north of Cairns, on Sunday.

One of the officers photographed the six-metre long snake and posted it on the Queensland Police Service Facebook page.

By yesterday afternoon it had attracted almost 10,000 comments and had been shared more than 13,000 times.

Queensland Police said the officers waited for the monster snake to cross the road before they continued their vehicle patrol.

Dave Walton, a Cairns snake removalist, told the ABC the officers were wise to give the python a wide berth.

“Certainly if you were to attempt to pick it up or grab it or poke it with a stick they can swing around quite quickly and if he grabs hold of you, you're in all sorts of trouble."

Mr Walton said large snakes were increasingly rare around built-up areas and this one was likely to be near the end of its life.