Snakes are popping up in the strangest places after Queensland floods
A Cairns snake catcher has warned people about the strange places reptiles are turning up at following the heavy rain that has inundated north Queensland this month.
Cairns Snake Catcher Matt Hagan told Yahoo7 he’s been busy removing snakes from gyms, houses and schools following the more than 300mm of rain that fell in Cairns during the first week of February.
“Wet conditions in Cairns have resulted in many snakes seeking a reprieve from the weather in dryer areas in and around buildings, homes and shops,” Mr Hagan wrote on Facebook.
Mr Hagan was called to a supermarket at Trinity Beach on Wednesday morning after staff found a brown tree snake on a shelf trying to get away from the deluge.
“They are nocturnal animals so they search for food, sometimes near buildings, during the night and crawl up into wall cavities for sleep during the day,” he told Yahoo7
“But this one was probably spooked when the neon lights got flicked on. It was upset and was ready to go to bed.”
He added staff were OK and it only took him five minutes to remove the “cranky” snake from the shelf. The snake has now been relocated.
Mr Hagan said flooding in Townsville has affected the supply to stores in Cairns.
“It was upset and was ready to go to bed,” the snake catcher said of the cranky serpent.
The snake catcher wrote on Facebook it is best to keep all screens to homes and businesses shut during prolonged periods of rain to avoid snakes getting inside.
Several snake and crocodile sightings have also been reported in Townsville as that city recovers from severe flooding.
Snakes somehow seem to find their way into odd places.
A South Australia resident recently found a slithery intruder chilling out in the back of their fridge.
On Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, a snake catcher warned pet owners last month after a python ate an outdoor cat in Noosa.
“This python would have come through, the cat got a bit too curious, they had a scuffle and the cat has been strangled,” Snake Catcher Luke told Yahoo7 News.
“The python won this round.”
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