A poisonous redbellied black snake was more terrified than its human onlookers when it slithered on to the streets of Hampton Park on Sunday.By Alison Noonan
A VENOMOUS snake gave Hampton Park residents a scare when it slithered through the main street on Sunday.
The large redbellied black snake turned heads as it moved through the Hampton Park shopping precinct before finding shelter in the wheel arch of a taxi.
The owner of The Park Cafe, who wished to be known only as Ian, said onlookers tried unsuccessfully to catch the potentially dangerous snake with cardboard boxes and other items.
He claimed the reptile was on the loose for about an hour before a snake handler arrived.
“I rang the police and they rang the snake handler. People were trying to catch it and a small crowd had gathered around,” he said.
“I was the only shopkeeper here. All the others were closed. It even tried to get in under the door of the computer shop just up from us. It was a bit of excitement for Hampton Park. Things like this don’t usually happen here.
“I’ve been here for 25 years and never seen a snake,” he said.
Tooradin resident Anne Stewart said she was standing at a nearby ATM when her husband alerted her to the commotion.
“I was getting money out and my husband called out to me that there was a snake up the road.
“It was just slithering along.
“It was quite freaky, actually. It’s not something you see every day,” she said.
John Simmons, of snake catching service Snakeshifter, said redbellied black snakes were uncommon to the area.
He said the snake was most likely a lost pet or had been transported by car from outside the area.
“They tend to come out from the bush so it may have hidden under a car that was parked in a rural area and was brought to Hampton Park.
“Cranbourne has a population of tiger snakes and there have already been a few sightings in the area but redbellied black snakes aren’t common.
“We will now assess its condition and take it from there,” he said.
Mr Simmons warned residents against trying to catch snakes themselves and encouraged people to call a professional if confronted.
“It is always a bad thing to try to catch it yourself because somebody will end up bitten.
“People tend to have an irrational fear when they see a snake but as long as you leave them alone you won’t get hurt.
“Treat all snakes as venomous and don’t harass or touch them. Just keep an eye on them and call a professional,” he said.
John Simmons covers Melbourne’s southeast and can be contacted on 0408 363 983.
