Australia is known for its dangerous wildlife. There are several native species there that could take any one of us right out of this world. So you can only imagine how smaller animals might fare in the outback. One guinea pig nearly met a tragic end recently, but thanks to his brave 12-year-old owner, Rosie Wightman, MaxiBon got to see another day.
Rosie’s heroic actions were caught on security camera, and it's a good thing because her quick thinking and fearlessness are a sight to see.
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Rosie realized it was getting dark and that there might be predators for her guinea pigs outside.
In the days since she saved her beloved pet, Rosie has sat down with news outlets to recount her amazing story. She told 7 News Australia that just before she went outside, her father was going over the family chore list. Rosie wasn’t particularly interested and noticed that it was getting dark outside.
She thought, “It might be predators out there for my guinea pigs.” She was right. When she went outside, she saw MaxiBon in a bush. She tried to grab him, but he ran in the other direction. Then MaxiBon started screaming. He was under a shovel. When Rosie lifted it, she saw a snake. The predator was wrapping itself around MaxiBon’s neck.
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Without thinking, Rosie grabbed the snake and started swinging it.
That’s when Rosie sprung into action. She grabbed the snake and instinctively started swinging it around. “I grabbed it and when I was swinging it around, I was like, ‘Actually, this is a really smart idea because he won’t wrap around his neck and kill him.” As Rosie was swinging the snake, it let go of MaxiBon but then quickly latched back on to the guinea pig’s leg.
Rosie's father was able to get the snake to release its grip on MaxiBon.
Hearing her screams, Rosie’s parents ran outside. Her father was able to hit the snake’s head on the ground, causing him to release MaxiBon. He ran straight back into the bushes and Rosie’s dad threw the snake across the yard.
Later, in an interview with Sunrise, Rosie shared that while her parents have advised her not to do this again, she would have regretted not doing anything. “I would have been regretting it for the rest of time, so I just got it. Yeah, just got the snake,” she said.
‘No one is going to believe us,' Rosie's mom said before the family remembered the security cameras.
Thankfully, it all worked out. Rosie’s voice is still hoarse from all the screaming and MaxiBon is healing from scratches, but he’s OK. And thanks to cameras, the moment has now been shared with thousands.
“It was the wildest thing,” Rosie’s mother Grace told Sunrise. “For about an hour after, we were like, ‘No one is going to believe us.’ Then we were like, ‘The cameras! … This is going to go crazy.'”
In all of the aftermath, Grace said the family has had a talk with Rosie. “We’re like, ‘Never again. We’re so grateful you’re fine but next time, step away. We’ll buy you two more pigs.’”
