In November 2017, Ian Trevethan in Australia discovered an unusual note left by a meter reader from Essential Energy. The note explained why the meter reading had not been completed – because of a highly venomous brown snake near the meter box.

Trevethan shared a picture of the note on social media, and it quickly gained attention. The note was titled “Your assistance is required” and indicated that the meter was blocked by a brown snake. The meter reader had managed to read one meter but encountered the snake while attempting to read the others.

The post received over 550 likes and 215 retweets in just two days. Many people found humor in the situation, with comments about the snake scaring off the meter reader but the bill still arriving.

Trevethan even joked about training the snake to guard the water meter to save on bills, and others shared similar sentiments about deterring meter readers from driving over their lawns.

Essential Energy explained that the meter reader didn’t take photos of the snake due to safety concerns.