This is the moment a Scottish resident in Dubai comes across a highly venomous snake while strolling with his family on the beach and he eventually throws it back in the water.
The video was filmed on Al Sufouh Beach in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates while Ken Mack, 37, originally from Scotland, and his wife Victoria and their seven-year-old son were strolling on the beach on Friday night.
They came across the snake writhing in the sand first, and Mack estimated that it was over a metre (3.3 feet) long.
He added: “We picked it up by the tail and threw it back into the water. It tried to snap at us though when we lifted it. The night could have ended very badly for me if it had bit me.”
Mack, an investor and business mentor, said it is very rare to come across a snake on the beach in Dubai, adding: “I walk along there quite regularly and never saw anything like that before.
“(My son) came running back to us and said ‘look, look I’ve found a big snake’. We went to look at it and were immediately taken aback by how huge it was.”
After several attempts to return the reptile to the sea, Mack said his wife “lifted it by the tail and flung it back in the water”.
He continued: “It was dry when I picked it up and we put it around a stick to keep it away from being able to reach our bodies.”
Dinesh Ramachandran, manager of the pest control company Rentokil, said the reptile was probably a Persian Gulf sea snake (Hydrophis lapemoides).
Ramachandran added: “It is very rare to find one on a beach, especially in Dubai, but you need to be extremely careful around them as they are highly venomous.
“Thankfully their mouths are really small so it’s unlikely they will be able to do too much damage but, at the same time, it’s not a chance you really want to take.
“It’s important not to disturb them as they are often shy and won’t attack unless provoked.
“If you are unlucky enough to be bitten by one, it is vital you phone for an ambulance straight away to get treated.”
Ramachandran said the Persian Gulf sea snake was probably swept ashore by a particularly strong tide.
Persian Gulf sea snakes can be found in the Persian Gulf as well as from the Indian Ocean to the coasts of Thailand.
