Aussies warned as snake catcher unearths 'bizarre' find hiding in couple's backyard
A couple from Sydney's west called for help on Friday after initially spotting at least four red-bellied black snakes slithering in a large mulch pile.
When a couple recently spotted a handful of red-bellied black snakes “hanging around” in their suburban Sydney backyard, they did what most Aussies do and called for help. Little did they know, the typical summer scene would unearth a “disturbing” discovery in a large pile of mulch nestled between two trees.
“They noticed four separate snakes in their backyard over a period of two weeks,” Cory from Reptile Relocation Sydney told Yahoo News Australia. “They’d been hanging around, coming out every day and sitting in the sun, then disappearing back into the pile.”
Concerned for the safety of their dog, who survived a deadly red-bellied black snake bite over Christmas, on Friday the couple contacted Cory, who sent over “the best man for the job” — his employee Dylan.
“Obviously leaving them be would have been a lot better, but being around the house and seeing that the dog had been bitten, she just felt more comfortable having them removed,” the snake catcher said.
Snake after snake 'uncovered' in large mulch pile
After arriving at the home in Horsley Park, in Sydney's west, Dylan started slowly sifting through the mulch, expecting to find and capture the four adult snakes. However, he was stunned when a baby red-belly suddenly “popped out” of the 10-metre wide, 50cm high heap.
“Within 20 minutes, Dylan rang me back and said ‘I’m at over 30 snakes already’,” Cory told Yahoo. And the numbers just kept climbing.
“When Dylan was just catching, catching, catching, the homeowners actually put some boots and long pants on and came out to help.”
After three hours, five adult female red-bellied black snakes and 71 babies were collected in bags.
“Then when we opened up two of the bags and two females had given birth, bringing the total number up to 102,” Cory said, adding that while it’s “common” for female snakes to congregate and share the same birthing site, this case was “pretty bizarre”.
“I honestly don’t know if anyone’s caught any more in the one property at one time.” They will now be relocated to undisclosed bushland.
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Footage of baby red-bellied black snakes stuns Aussies
Footage of the dozens of the baby red-bellies slithering on top of each other in a white bucket has horrified almost 50,000 people since Cory posted it online on Tuesday. Photos sent to Yahoo show the five adult snakes angrily emerging from the mulch in an effort to protect their young.
While some Aussies said the “unusual” callout made their skin crawl, others announced they would “have to move” if over 100 snakes had been found on their property.
“Oh wow, they look amazing. Medusa eat your heart out,” one woman said, referencing the Greek goddess, while another jokingly asked Cory if he could drop off the snakes at her ex-husband’s house.
“Lesson here. Don’t have a mulch pile!” someone else warned.
The heap provided the “perfect conditions” for the ladies to “set up house”, Cory said. Mulch piles are really common hiding spots because they keep a stable temperature, which is quite important for the development of the babies, he said.
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