Horrified Australian homeowner finds 102 'terrifying' venomous snakes in his garden
Horrified Australian homeowner finds 102 'terrifying' venomous snakes in his garden
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A man was shocked to discover more than 100 "terrifying" venomous snakes that had made a home in his back garden. David Stein has told how he was left with "shivers" after 102 red-bellied snakes made their way into his garden in western Sydney, Australia, forcing him to call for backup. Mr Stein said he saw the serpents writhing on top of a mulch pile before running to fetch his camera from inside his house.
By the time he returned, he said, the snakes had wormed their way inside the mulch. The Aussie has now shared shocking pictures showing the clusters of snakes that were salvaged from his garden after he called snake catchers, who later admitted the situation was "unusual" to help him remove them. Speaking to Sunrise on Australian Channel 7, Mr Stein said he called in Reptile Relocation Sydney after his wife discovered that female snakes tend to congregate before giving birth. Owner Corey Kerewaro said Dylan Cooper, who was sent to remove the snakes from their new home, discovered 102 lurking in the mulch.
Posting on Facebook, the business said the snakes "just kept being uncovered" as they delved into the mulch pile. They said: “Within a few minutes, we knew this was going to be unusual. Snake after snake, they just kept being uncovered." Red-bellied snakes are indigenous to Australia, and are known for being "generally shy". They will also typically only bite humans if they feel threatened, and if they do, are not deadly. Australian authorities have not reported any deaths from Red-bellied snake bites. That doesn't mean they aren't unpleasant, as they can cause bleeding and swelling at the bite site, nausea, vomiting, headaches, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, sweating, local or generalised muscle pain and weakness, and turn urine a reddish-brown colour.
Mr Kerewaro estimated the snakes had been in his mulch pile for around a month, and estimated that around 36 of the 102 were babies. He said: "They do give birth to quite a high number of babies. The chance of survival of those babies are very, very low." He urged anyone who spots the snakes at their home to call an expert catcher and get some advice. He said: "They’re not bad as long as people are snake aware and they don’t mess with them. If it’s up around the house and you do want to remove them … call a catcher and get some advice.".
