A snake catcher has shared a grim warning to Sydneysiders about a surge in giant snakes after he found an “extra-large serpent with a body as thick as a beer bottle”.
Sean Cade, who runs Australian Snake Catchers, was recently called to remove a six-foot Eastern Brown Snake from a West Hoxton property in western Sydney.
During the Labour Day long weekend, Cade received about 25 calls regarding snakes on their property.
“A dozen of them were Eastern Browns, and they were all five-foot plus,” Mr Cade said.
While Cade explained that there are not necessarily more snakes being encountered, the snakes have been bigger than their average size lately.
“Your average black snake that people are going to see is like a metre long, like a ten-cent coin. An Eastern Brown snake is probably the same thickness but they 1.2 metres.
“But I’m finding five footers on a regular basis from an Eastern Brown snake – like a 20 cent coin – so they’re quite thick,” Mr Cade said.
Mr Cade added that the red belly snakes were like a “mandarin size” in diameter.
“For some reason, this year, more so than the last few years, the snakes seem to be a lot bigger and a lot healthier,” Mr Cade said.
CSIRO mouse expert Steve Henry said that the mouse plague, which was seen throughout central and western NSW during the beginning of the year, has contributed to the issue. The rats provided excellent food for the snakes. However, Mr Henry said there is still uncertainty about whether another mouse plague will ʜɪᴛ the state.
“We’re seeing patchy reports of high mice numbers, but farmers are also being very proactive with baiting, which is helping to reduce numbers in some area.”
