Well this is a cosplay win if I've ever seen one (and makes me feel better about bringing my lightsaber out in public ... but I digress). On day 277 of his charity quest across Australia, local man Scott Loxley was saved from a potentially lethal snake bite by – wait for it – his stormtrooper armour! Looks like this trooper was walking in Alderaan places (there will be puns, I will not apologise).
The Aussie belongs to Vader's First 501st Legion, an international not-for-profit Star Wars costuming organisation that raises much-needed funds for various charities, and was in the midst of 'Storming Australia', a two-year 15,000 kilometre (9320.57 mile) journey in Galactic Empire garb to raise $100,000 for the Monash Children’s Hospital, when he encountered a king brown snake (Pseudechis australis), one of Australia's deadliest reptiles.
"These snakes have the largest-recorded venom output of any in the world – delivering 150mg in one [strike]," explains Loxley, who only walked past the snake because he thought it was dead (protip: always assume deadly things can kill you). "He lunged at me and bit me in the shin ... I could feel the teeth on the plastic, scraping, but the armour actually stopped it."
Despite the close encounter, Loxley, who has since been dubbed 'Australia’s answer to Chuck Norris' (achievement unlocked!), has no intentions of stopping his trans-Australian trek until he reaches his $100,000 goal, a particularly impressive feat considering Oz's Tatooine-worthy temperatures, which regularly break 100 degrees Fahrenheit this time of year (not bad for having one sun).
"One of my recent trips to the Monash Children's ward put everything into perspective. No matter how tough things get on the road, I know that there are kids battling just to get through every day and doing it with a smile on their face," he says. "As a father, if one of my children were hospitalised, I would want them to be cared for by the best staff who have access to the best equipment."
Loxley has raised over $41,000 since his trek began in 2013. You can help him reach his goal through his donation page here!
Top header image:Leo/Flickr
Natural World
Predator vs Prey
In The Field
