The weather is heating up in Sydney this week, and so are the tempers of motorists. Delayed drivers began beeping their horns in frustration when a car park exit was temporarily blocked on Wednesday around lunchtime.
Snake catcher Chris Williams explained to Yahoo News that “cars started backing up, and people had a look of annoyance” when they saw him. “It’s Sydney, everyone is in a hurry,” he quipped.
But once they understood why he had parked in their way, they quickly changed their tune. “I held the snake up so they could see it, and a few people gathered around and asked to take a closer look,” he said. “Holding a snake is always a good ice breaker.”
Snakes on the move as weather heats up
As the founder of Urban Reptile Removal, Chris has had a very busy few days. On Sunday, the temperature almost hit 24 degrees, and on Monday and Tuesday it peaked above 27.
Motorists began beeping horns and trying to back away after they were delayed inside a car park. Source: Urban Reptile Removal
Snakes are on the move, and he’s received over 40 calls for help in three days. As he spoke with Yahoo, he was driving to retrieve a venomous red-bellied blacksnake from inside a home in the city’s west.
Finding snakes inside car parks is common over the warmer months. They normally slither inside the engine when a car is parked near bushland and then hitch a ride into the city.
This leaves them disoriented, stressed and in need of help to ensure they’re not squashed on the road. Chris explained that the famous Opera House car park is “especially good” for finding snakes. “Because it’s shaped like a corkscrew underground, there’s no way for snakes to escape,” he said.
Passing Sydneysiders stopped to look at the snake as Chris Williams carried it back to his car. Source: Urban Reptile Removal
Car park operator reveals phobia after encounter with reptile
The snake he rescued today was less than a kilometre away, in the car park underneath St Mary’s Cathedral in the city. The driver whose car it had hitched in on hadn’t returned by 1pm, and will probably never know that their car was the centre of a commotion.
Chau, a worker at the car park, told Yahoo several customers reported the animal climbing over a small white car, and so he called Chris for help.
“I’m actually afraid of snakes. But I could see it was harmless, so it didn’t affect me too badly,” he said. “
When Chris arrived, he confirmed it was a tree snake, which is not venomous. And he was able to quickly secure the reptile so it could be released into a forest.
“It was an elegant-looking snake. Probably about three feet long (90cm), but no bigger than your thumb,” he said.
“Someone would have driven into the car park this morning, gone to make a run for it and then freaked out when they saw there were no trees around.”
Chau is afraid of snakes, and kept a safe distance. Source: Urban Reptile Removal
In Australia, it is illegal to harm or disturb snakes. Men are the most common snake bite victims in the country, and problems usually occur when a snake tries to defend itself during an attack. If a snake is in a place that’s dangerous for it or a human, a reptile catcher or rescue group should always be called for help.
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