A homeowner called a local snake catcher to capture what he thought was a couple of snakes. What they found instead was “like winning the snake lottery”.
A homeowner called a local snake catcher to capture what he thought was a couple of snakes. What they found instead was “like winning the snake lottery”.
By Jessica McSweeney
February 7, 2025 — 10.43am
Whether you love them or are terrified of them, snakes are a part of daily life in Australia.
However, one Sydney homeowner got the shock of a lifetime when what he thought was a couple of red-bellied black snakes turned out to be a nest of over 100 reptiles.
The homeowner had spotted a few adult snakes near a mulch pile in his Horsley Park backyard, and decided to call in Reptile Relocation Sydney.
The business’ owner Cory Kerewaro deployed snake catcher Dylan Cooper to check it out. When he arrived and began sifting through the mulch pile, he quickly located the five adult snakes.
“Then one baby came, out another came, and snake after snake kept coming,” Kerewaro said.
What they thought would be a routine snake pickup turned into a three-hour job, with 40 snakes found.
After leaving the property, Cooper pulled over to check on the snakes and made an amazing discovery – the adults had given birth to even more baby snakes, bringing the total to around 70.
“By the time he brought them to my house to check them over, more had given birth, it brought the number to 102. It’s pretty crazy,” Kerewaro said.
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Kerewaro was stuck at a different job at the time, and is disappointed to miss what was a company record for the most snakes captured in one outing.
“I got FOMO – fear of missing out,” he said.
“Both of us were pumped, it’s like winning the snake lottery for us.”
Snake catchers are required by law to release snakes in a suitable habitat as close as possible to where they are found. However, given the huge scale of this find, Kerewaro was granted special permission to take the reptiles to a national park for release.
He plans to release the group as soon as possible, but wanted to wait for a day when temperatures would only reach a maximum of 27 degrees so as not to put the snakes in heat stress.
Red-bellied black snakes are the only snake of its genus, pseudechis, to give live birth. Females give birth to between five and 18 live young enclosed in a membranous sac, according to the Australian Museum.
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While the extraordinary number of snakes found in this instance is unusual, females are known to congregate during the late stages of their pregnancy and will share a nighttime hideout with other pregnant red-bellies.
Though highly venomous, red-bellied black snakes aren’t aggressive towards humans unless provoked. There have been no recorded human deaths from red-bellied black snake bites.
The venom can cause necrosis – especially if bitten on the finger – and bite victims can suffer headaches, abdominal pain, swelling, bleeding. Bites can be treated with antivenom.
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Jessica McSweeney is a breaking news reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.
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