72-Year-Old Handles 17 Copperhead Snakes With Shovel And Shotgun

Proving age is just a number, a 72-year-old woman effectively took care of 17 troublesome copperhead snakes with nothing more than her wit, a shovel, and a shotgun.

Copperheads are common snakes in North America, and are known as “pit vipers.” Identified by copper colored heads, the snakes do help keep rodent populations under control in some areas. Their venom is relatively mild and although their bites are painful, they are rarely fatal to a human. But that doesn’t stop them from being a nuisance to a year 72-year-old Oklahoman woman.

According to WTVD, Susan Thompson was enjoying a visit with her neighbor, Mrs. Newby, when the two women made a terrifying discovery. A huge pile of snakes were slithering under Newby’s home. Newby used a shotgun, a shovel, and a rake handle, to kill all 11 snakes by herself. She found six more snakes at some point and managed to take care of them also.

“Mrs. Newby killed 11 copperheads last night at her house! She’s a snake killer if you need help call her! She is 72 years old!” Thompson wrote in the caption. By Sunday, Mrs. Newby had killed 17 snakes, Thompson said in another Facebook post. The post is no longer available, yet the attention is still coming from all directions.