DAILY TELEGRAPH (Sydney, Australia) 01 January 10 Family defend watching python eat wallaby

A family who watched a python eat a young wallaby in their backyard says public backlash for not helping the infant animal is "water off a duck's back".

The Barton-Ilic family from Cairns, north Queensland, watched from outside their home as a 4-meter (13ft) scrub python ate a young wallaby while its mum kicked and scratched the snake in vain to save her baby, The Cairns Post reported.

Judith Barton-Ilic said she felt like she was watching TV’s Animal Planet with her kids Braidyn, 13, and Tiarn, 10, when the action unfolded on Monday.

The story has gained Australia-wide interest since being published on cairns.com.au, with more than 140,000 views of Mrs Barton-Ilic's pictures of the attack.

The family came under fire as online readers posted a barrage of comments, with many attacking the family for not going to the wallaby's rescue.

"So, in 45 minutes, no supposed top of the chain animal went to the aid of the mother wallaby. Sickening!" wrote Elizabeth of Seddon in Victoria.

But Mrs Barton-Ilic defended the actions of her family, saying the snake had half the wallaby in its mouth by the time they noticed the incident.

She also said the family armed themselves with long broom handles and sticks but gave up after realizing the wallaby was dead.

Cameron Buswell, the regional inspector of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) Far Northern branch, said the family did the right thing by letting nature take its course.

"If they killed a native snake, they would get into trouble by the Environmental Protection Agency and the RSPCA and face hefty fines," he said.

Cairns Snake Removals owner David Walton said the python could have attacked Mrs Barton-Ilic if she attempted to help the wallaby.
Family defend watching python eat wallaby

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