Deadly creature found in kids’ playroom in Australia after dog causes ‘commotion’
An Australian family narrowly avoided a potentially deadly situation thanks to their dog causing a “commotion” in their home, a reptile relocation group said.
Reptile Relocation Sydney was called to Picton, a town southwest of the city, after homeowners said a snake was hiding in their child’s playroom, according to a Nov. 24 Facebook post.
The family was alerted to the intruder when the snake “caught the attention” of their cavoodle, who started freaking out, snake catcher Cory Kerewaro told 7News and the group said on Facebook.
The family saw the snake slither into the playroom, the group said, and then quickly shut the door behind it and shoved a towel between the bottom of the door and floor to prevent its escape.
Reptile Relocation Sydney said one of its snake catches arrived at the home 15 minutes later, and after stepping inside the playroom, the catcher searched for the snake.
Then they found it nestled under a Barbie pillow.
The group posted a photo of where the snake was found and zoomed in on its hiding place.
The snake was identified as a venomous red-bellied black snake and safely removed it from the home, the group said.
“No Squishmellows were hurt during this relocation,” Reptile Relocation Sydney joked in its post.
Kerewaro called the capture “routine” but warned the warmer months in Australia may bring more unwanted house guests.
“It’s pretty routine stuff for us, we pick them up by the tail and put them straight in a bag,” Kerewaro told 7News. “But then the daughter .. she was petrified to go back in, so we spoke to her for a while and reassured her and gave her advice.”
Picton is a town near the southeastern coast of Australia, about a 55-mile drive southwest from Sydney.
Red-bellied black snakes
Red-bellied black snakes are relatively common, and adults range in size from 5 to 6.5 feet long, according to the Australian Museum.
“This beautiful serpent shares our love of sunshine and water, and is a familiar sight to many outdoor adventurers in eastern Australia,” the museum said. “Attitudes towards these largely inoffensive snakes are slowly changing, however, they are still often seen as a dangerous menace and unjustly persecuted.”
The snakes’ reputation stems from their venomous bite, a beneficial tool for hunting rats and mice by the “voracious feeders” but potentially deadly for younger kids and pets, according to the museum.
The snake is considered relatively shy and will freeze to avoid detection, meaning people may get closer to the snake without knowing it, the museum said. Red-bellied black snakes occasionally bite, but only under a perceived “severe” threat to their life.
“Despite the number of bites received every year, very few human deaths have resulted (most death records date from early times and the snake’s identity was often unconfirmed). Many bite victims experience only mild or negligible symptoms, however a number also end up hospitalized,” the museum said. “The health risks to children and pets are greater, due to their smaller size.”
