Irish tradies stop work in 'fear' after discovery at Aussie construction site
There are famously no snakes in Ireland, so the discovery of a red-belly at a worksite was frightening for many of the group.
Work at an Aussie construction site was halted for hours on Tuesday morning after workers made a discovery that had them shaking with “fear”. Having flown over from Ireland, the small group of tradies had been enjoying the warm weather when they noticed their work site had been occupied by a snake wanting to sun itself.
“Some of the labourers who were from overseas were a bit more taken aback by the snake,” construction manager Matt Goodwin told Yahoo News Australia.
His crew from RARE Environmental had been clearing a walkway along Manly Dam on Sydney’s northern beaches when they spotted the red-bellied blacksnake and called for help.
Photos taken by expert snake catcher Chris Williams show the group, dressed in hi-vis work gear nervously watching on as the 1.2 metre reptile was gently picked up off the path. Others can be seen snapping photos to send back to family at home.
“When I got there it was still pretty active, and it seemed quite relaxed around people. It’s a high traffic area, so I’m sure it’s used to us. A lot of snakes I try and catch try to get away but this one showed no interest in doing that,” Williams told Yahoo.
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Snake removal highlights importance of common issue
As legend has it, there have been no snakes in Ireland since St Patrick stood atop an Irish hillside and banished them. Because generations of Irish have no experience with the reptiles, you wouldn't have judged the newly arrived tradies too harshly if they'd taken the wrong course of action and tried to chase it away, attacked it, or even tried to pick it up. But that's not what happened.
They stayed back and got an expert on the phone. Because the snake was unafraid, Williams was able to quickly contain the snake and relocate it in nearby bushland. The encounter highlights the importance of calling for professional help when wildlife is disturbed at a building site.
There have been a series of unfortunate encounters further north on the Gold Coast, where native animals have been killed and injured when workers take matters into their own hands. Last year, a large python abandoned her eggs after tradies decided they’d illegally move them. And last month two kangaroos died after they were dug out of a muddy pit with machinery and then splashed with freezing cold water.
RARE Environmental confirmed it had workers trained by wildlife rescue group WIRES on site to ensure the risk of harming animals is minimised.
“We definitely train our staff in what to do. Obviously they're not out there handling snakes, but they know how to keep it safely until an expert can arrive and assess the situation,” Goodwin said.
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Red-bellied blacksnake callouts spike
William’s company Urban Reptile Removal has attended to a spate of red-bellied blacksnake call outs today.
“I would have had eight calls from people wanting me to head out. It’s a nice day and the sun is out. Where there is less cloud and more UV you see more snakes,” he said.
“They’re well and truly out and about.”
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