Panic in Sydney CBD as venomous snake decides to soak up sun
There was some panic in Sydney’s CBD on Tuesday after an extremely venomous snake was spotted on one of the city's busiest roads.
The one and a half metre red bellied black snake gave George Street pedestrians and bar patrons quite the shock as it soaked in the city sun.
"I made sure there was a beeline to the other side of the road ready to run away if it turned my way,” one pedestrian said.
The snake was eventually trapped outside a city hotel after staff closed all doors and windows, while police and professional snake handler Harley Jones was called in.
"To have a red bellied black of that size, in the middle of the street, [it's] very unusual,” Mr Jones said.
“Someone has hit it with a shovel or it's been hit by a car maybe.”
The injured snake was taken to the vet and while it was bleeding at the time of arrival, none of the injuries were considered life-threatening.
"There's no evidence of fractures in the spine - so that's a good sign,” said Dr Michelle Dalli, the vet who treated the snake.
George, as the staff now calls him, has been kept under observation and pending further health checks, he could be released back into the wild.
As for how George ended up on George Street, that remains the biggest mystery of all.
