By Brendan Rees
A deadly snake has been caught in the front yard of Cranbourne South property before being safely released.
Barry Goldsmith from Snake Catcher Victoria said he was called out to the property after the owner spotted the critter slithering in the garden on Wednesday 6 November.
“It was just hiding, when I rustled it, it came flying out so that was good; textbook capture,” he said.
Video of the capture was posted to Mr Goldsmith’s Snake Catcher Victoria Facebook page.
The caption read: “Here’s a feisty Cranbourne tiger snake. Nice early morning heart starter.”
At one stage Mr Goldsmith used his hand to lift a shrub in an attempt to the find the snake before it spilled out onto a nearby path.
“I was holding it by the tail, that’s the only time a snake’s dangerous when you’re interacting with it,” he said.
“Any other time they’re not going to jump out of the grass and bite ya, he just wants to be left alone.
“I let him loose on some private property”.
Mr Goldsmith, who has been catching snakes for 40 years, says he’s had about 30 callouts to snakes in the South East area for the past six months.
His recent catch, he said, was “another day in the office”.
When asked where he finds snakes, Mr Goldsmith said “Where don’t I find them? Everywhere”.
“Inside the house, toilets, walls, underneath fridges, underneath Christmas trees … washing machines, chicken coups.
“There is no increase in snakes this year as oppose to any other year,” he said.
The warmer spring days spark the start of snake season with the most common snakes around Melbourne being tiger snakes and lowland copperheads.
“If you spot a snake all you have to do is step around it, give it some room – he’s not going to jump and bite you, he’s not going to attack you,” Mr Goldsmith said.
“I’ve never been attacked and never been bitten,” he said after having handled thousands of snakes.
He said any money he did make from snake captures went straight towards his wildlife shelter in Mornington which treated injured snakes before being released into the wild.
