Golfers are accustomed to seeing snakes every now and again – it’s almost par for the course.
But rarely do they sight an eastern brown this big or so close to a clubhouse.
Snake catchers were called to Maroochy River Golf Club this week to remove an estimated five-foot-six (168cm) visitor after patrons noticed it sliding by the outdoor dining area on its way.
Ryan Fuller and Dimity Maxfield, from Snake Rescue Sunny Coast, were tasked with catching their first big eastern brown of the snake breeding season.
“What a spectacular snake he is,” they said via social media.
“This unit of a brown snake was spotted heading towards the restaurant area at the golf club and got a little bit too close to the patrons.
“There was nothing to his liking on the lunch menu, so he continued on his journey heading towards the mini golf area.”
It took them only four minutes to capture it. It was later released into a nearby conservation park, away from people and houses.
“The golf course has red-bellied black snakes, but they are usually pretty placid and away from the main buildings,” Mr Fuller said.
“But this eastern brown came right up to the dining area.
“I think they (people in the vicinity) were hoping a lot of movement from the patrons would scare it off, but that wasn’t the case. He was more than happy to casually travel along next to everyone while they were eating.
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“By the time we got there he had disappeared into a few bushes close by.
“We started digging through them and Dimity heard a few rustles and managed to find him.”
Their video showed her calmly pulling the snake from a garden bed and placed it in a bag.
Ms Maxfield said the reptile was taller than her five-foot-five stature, when she held it aloft.
“He was quite a placid snake, which definitely made it easier,” she said, before adding that the patrons were relieved to see it bagged.
“They were definitely keen to see it go but they got a good show out of it,” she said.
Eastern brown snakes are renowned as the second most venomous land snake in the world, after the inland taipan, but Mr Fuller said they have a “bad reputation for being aggressive”.
“They really just get defensive when people corner them,” he said.
“In the video, you can see this one is chill. Normally, their reaction is a bit more animated.
“This one is probably used to humans. He’s probably seen them a lot and is not too scared of them, which is why he came so close to everyone. He was probably thinking ‘this is fine, I’ve never been attacked by a human’.”
It was their first significant capture of a brown snake at the start of the snake breeding season, which runs from August until mid-December.
Mr Fuller said snakes would be prominent during the next few months.
“All the big males are going off to look for females to mate with, so you will often see them travelling,” he said.
“In this case, we’re pretty sure this was a male travelling to look for a female.
“They throw all caution to the wind and they will cross roads and go through yards.
“They get hit by cars and attacked by pets at this time of year and it’s also the time when people normally spot the snakes as well.
“Snakes are usually very cryptic in the way they move. They usually stick to the bush or covered areas to stay out of the open, to avoid birds of prey and other predators.
“But at this time of year, they throw all caution to the wind and just make beeline towards females.”
The duo encountered another large eastern brown snake just two days later, when they captured a “chunky brown” at Mount Coolum.
Mr Fuller and Ms Maxfield, originally from Tasmania, have been catching snakes on the Sunshine Coast for more than five years.
Mr Fuller said people should be observant during the next few months.
“In snake breeding season, anyone who has got small pets or children should stay vigilant and keep an eye out,” he said.
“If they have any concerns about a snake on their property, give a snake catcher a call for information, identification and/or removal,” he said.
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