Some of the world’s most venomous snakes have been keeping Sunshine Coast residents on their toes this spring.
Red-bellies and browns have made their presence felt during breeding season.
They’re among the snakes found in a variety of places including a clothing store, cubby house, television cabinet, barbecue, bird bath, wardrobe, shower and pantry.
Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7, of National Geographic fame, has received 30 to 40 phone calls a day from locals requesting advice or snake relocation.
Owner Stuart McKenzie bagged a massive red-bellied black snake at a Flaxton property. It was one of three males fighting over a female.
“It was one of the biggest (venomous) snakes I’ve ever seen,” he said of the five-footer (1.54m) that was “nearly as thick as a coke can”.
“It was in a 5m black drainage pipe that had open ends so I was able to shove a hose down one end and I poked him until he came out, and then I just grabbed him while he was starting to slither off.”
Mr McKenzie caught the males in one job and then returned to capture the female the next day.
“September is always busy. We’ve been catching pythons for months but the venomous snakes are on the move now with the consistently warmer temperatures,” he said.
“It never ceases to amaze me where they turn up.”
An eastern brown, the second most venomous snake in the world, was found browsing a clothing and accessories shop at Moffat Beach.
Footage showed it sliding over footwear.
“The store was evacuated and they (staff) did the right thing and called us,” Mr McKenzie said.
“It was just cruising around, doing a bit of shopping maybe.”
Mr McKenzie also urged pet owners to be wary.
One household cat was photographed in a stand-off with a deadly red-bellied black snake, which was on a doormat on the opposite side of a sliding glass door.
“The snake disappeared before we got there,” he said.
“They (the owners) did the right thing and kept the cat inside. They wanted the snake relocated because they had pets and didn’t want any confrontations.
“People should keep their screen doors shut and monitor their pets.
“I’ve seen a lot of cats running around at night time and we’ve had quite a few calls from people whose cats have brought snakes inside.”
Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb.
Mr McKenzie said there had been several call-outs for snakes in cars.
“They get into garages when the doors are open, and go into cars, which is a nice warm hiding spot. They see them as a safe spot.”
In a nightmare scenario, one eastern brown snake slithered right through a vehicle.
“That one got into the engine bay and then made its way through the hole where the driver’s pedal is and ended up in the footwell of the backseat.”
No-one was in the parked car at the time, but Mr McKenzie urged commuters to remain calm if they do see a snake in their car while driving.
“”There’s an initial fright but people should try not to panic and just pull over and call a snake catcher,” he said.
“It’s not a situation that people would like to be in. It’s happened a few times but not very often.”
Mr McKenzie and his crew haven’t just caught snakes in weird places.
They recently pulled a major skink from a toilet. It’s not known how it got there.
Related stories: Giant python hitches a truck ride and Tee-rifying sight as huge snake found at golf club
