TV star shares shocking moment feisty snake lunged for their face

Robert Irwin has shared the nail-biting moment he was attempting to move a snake to a safe area – but the creature tried to lunge for him, narrowly missing his face.

For years, the 19-year-old – who’s the son of the late ‘Crocodile Hunter’ Steve Irwin and conservationist Terri Irwin, and the brother of Bindi Irwin – has followed in his family’s footsteps with his passion for animals and nature.

Robert is frequently seen on TV screens, on shows including Robert’s Real Life Adventures and the Australian version of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, and has gained a legion of adoring fans.

In a video shared on Instagram, he revealed an anxiety-inducing encounter that he had with a carpet python, who had been found on the road.

As he tried to get close enough to the snake to pick it up and move it, the animal tried to nip at Robert multiple times – and while others might have panicked, the zookeeper stayed level-headed the entire time.

The video began with the teenager lying down on the ground on his stomach in very close proximity to the python, resting on his left arm while extending his right.

Robert gently knelt down next to the carpet python (Picture: Instagram/@robertirwinphotography)

It didn’t take long for the snake to lunge for him (Picture: Instagram/@robertirwinphotography)

It looked like the adrenaline was rushing through Robert’s veins after his close encounter (Picture: Instagram/@robertirwinphotography)

‘Hey mate,’ he said, but his friendly greeting was interrupted as the snake almost managed to sink its teeth into his face.

As someone gasped off-camera, Robert burst into laughter, telling his viewers: ‘He missed me by that much,’ using his fingers to gesture a very small distance.

‘But he is probably worked up because he’s on the road. Man, you see how close that was to my face?! You would have felt that!’

Robert then set about trying to pick up the snake again, as it continued to try to pounce for him.

After the zookeeper stood up, the snake continue to try to go for him (Picture: Instagram/@robertirwinphotography)

Eventually, he managed to pick up the animal, speaking to it gently in an attempt to keep it calm (Picture: Instagram/@robertirwinphotography)

Robert revealed that his hand had gone blue after the snake spent several minutes wrapping itself tightly around his fingers (Picture: Instagram/@robertirwinphotography)

‘He is real grumpy. Ok, this is going to be a little bit tricky here to not cop a bite,’ the TV personality admitted, continuing to speak calmly to the creature as he lifted it up, all the while still at risk of being bitten.

Robert explained to his viewers that while the carpet python is non-venomous, it does have very big teeth, and it’s ‘designed to constrict, to grab, hold’.

‘Then, they’ll wrap around them, asphyxiate them. Very quick and very efficient. It’s actually a great way to catch their prey. That’s what he’s doing to my hand right now,’ he shared, as the snake wrapped itself tightly around his hand.

‘He’s actually got a really good grip there,’ Robert said 10 minutes later – just like his dad, keeping his composure.

‘Like I’ve lost complete blood flow to my hand. It’s completely blue. I’ve got no feeling left in my hand, and he’s just kind of holding on, he’s just having a really good grip.’

Robert popped the python in his car, as it rested next to his feet (Picture: Instagram/@robertirwinphotography)

The next day, he brought it out of a bag to release it in a safe spot in the wild (Picture: Instagram/@robertirwinphotography)

Bye mate! (Picture: Instagram/@robertirwinphotography)

Eventually, Robert managed to transport the snake to a car, where it casually was placed on the ground by his feet and legs, before then relocating it to a large bag.

Then the next morning, the snake was taken out of the bag and allowed to roam free back into the wild through long blades of grass.

‘Alright so, this morning, we’ve come out to a really good piece of bush, which is really far from the road,’ he explained, describing the mission as a ‘job well done’.

Numerous people praised Robert on his perpetually calm mindset, with one writing: ‘“He’s really keen on biting me…” ~ Robert Irwin, with Zen like calm as a huge snake keeps striking at him as attempts to help it. 😂😂 Cheers to you, brother!!’

‘The way he causal says “I’ve got no feeling in my hand”,’ someone else said alongside a cry-laughing emoji, while another wrote: ‘This is precarious yet hiss-terical !😂 all at the same time. Thank you for helping snakey dude slither to safety! 👍🏼💕.’

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