Benny bags a snake

Benny Eisman was at work in his Surry Hills office when a friend in neighbouring Paddington called to say he had noticed there was a “snake in a bin on Oxford Street”.

The bin had been “wrapped … in Glad Wrap” from top to bottom – and inside was the snake, just “sitting there”.

An entrepreneur involved in the startup scene, Eisman is also a self-described “wildlife enthusiast” and nature photographer, who discovered early in life that he had a knack for dealing with animals.

As a year 7 student at Moriah College he brought reptiles, and lorikeets he had trained and rehabilitated himself, to the school’s show and tell.

The word spread, and although Eisman himself points out that he is not affiliated with an official animal rescue service, he gets calls from friends, and their friends, for help with any kind of creature from possums to bats.

Arriving at the scene, the self-described “accidental herpetologist” knew on sight that the animal was a python, and not venomous – and that it seemed to have “quite a nice temperament”, having likely been someone’s pet. With the welfare of the animal in mind, Eisman felt he should take it to the vet. So there was just one thing to do.

“I got the snake out safely and put it in my bag.”

Local police got in on the rescue as well, and reached out to Eisman to arrange a transfer to Sydney Wildlife.

While he dealt with the situation himself, Eisman encourages people who encounter wildlife to go through proper channels.

“Although I love rescuing animals, if anybody does find injured animals, the best point of call is Sydney Wildlife … or WIRES,” he said.