iStockphoto / Jonathan Steinbeck
A man in Sydney, Australia called in the local Reptile Relocation business after spotting poisonous red-bellied black snakes in his garden but what happened next gobsmacked everyone involved with the operation. The team from Reptile Relocation Sydney initially spotted six venomous snakes identified as red-bellied black snakes but then slowly “found baby after baby” in the mulch and removed a whopping 102 of these venomous snakes found in Sydney.
While other countries might be home to more venomous spake species than Australia (66), like Brazil (79) and Mexico (80), Australia is home to the most venomous snakes species in the world and venomous snakes represent approximately 85% of all snakes Down Under. Compare to Florida where only ~14% of the snakes here in my home state are poisonous and it’s easy to see how Australia has received such a reputation for dangerous creatures.
While venomous, fatal bites from these red-bellied black snakes found in Sydney and around Australia’s Eastern coast are rare. The last confirmed deadly bite from a red-bellied black snake occurred way back in February of 1887. When it comes to fatal snake bites in Australia, the Eastern Brown Snake is king followed by the Western Brown Snake and the Tiger Snake.
But that’s not to say that having 102 red-bellied black snakes slithering around in the garden is a good thing nor is it safe… Here is a video of the home owner discussing finding 102 (!!) of these venomous snakes in Sydney:
The home owner said “what was going through my head was I just couldn’t believe the amount of snakes that he kept uncovering out of there. Every time we raked a bit of mulch, there was more.” Imagine doing yard work and every time you rake the mulch you see a new wave of snakes come slithering out. That’s pure nightmare fuel.
David Stein, the home owner, added that “there was two clutches of babies that had already been hatched, apparently the mums take off and leave camp.” …Nightmare fuel:
Cory Kerewaro who is the owner of Reptile Relocation Sydney told The Guardian “there were 40 snakes, then 70, then 90…” The final count was 97 babies and 5 adult females. David Stein added “Tthe quantity is a shock. We do have red-belly snakes in the backyard – you’ll see one slither away into the creek – but not a great deal.”
Australia has a law where captured and relocated snakes must be released within 20km (12.42mi) of where the snakes were captured. This ensures the snakes are not dumped into a completely foreign ecosystem as well as preventing unnecessary population spread around the country.
But how exactly do you relocate 102 venomous snakes without overwhelming any ecosystem? That is a LOT of snakes.