Toddler bitten by snake on family's verandah

A toddler has been bitten by a four-metre scrub python which wrapped itself around him as he played on his family’s verandah in Queensland’s far north.

Ron Rutland found the snake wrapped around his grandson Naish Dobson on Saturday afternoon at their home in Julatten, north of Cairns, and tried to free him from its tight embrace.

“I grabbed him behind the head and squeezed with all I was worth thinking I'd be able to choke him and get him off the young fellow. It didn't appear to work,” he said.

Naish’s mum Amanda Rutland began pulling at the snake as well, poking at its mouth.

Eventually Mr Rutland was left with no choice but to kill the giant snake to save his grandson.

“I stabbed him about four or five times in the back with a pointed weapon and released his grip,” he said.

Naish was taken to hospital and is recovering well.

Scrub pythons are known to eat large prey like wallabies.