11h ago

More than 100 red-bellied black snakes found in Sydney backyard

www.bbc.com More than 100 red-bellied black snakes found in Sydney backyard

Reptile handlers say they initially found 40 red-bellied black snakes - before some began giving birth.

Key details

When his colleague arrived, he discovered 40 red-bellied black snakes - four of which gave birth to more live young once he had placed them in a removal bag.
Red-bellied black snakes are one of the most common venomous species in Australia but have not caused any human deaths on record.
The five adult and 97 baby snakes are currently under quarantine and will be released into a national park once the weather cools.

4 comments

Key details missed out one big one - were they being kept by the person (illegally, I would assume?), or did they just really fancy their back garden, infest it, and were a complete surprise to the human residents?
- Found another article with more info
  https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/feb/06/totally-amazing-102-red-bellied-black-snakes-found-in-sydney-garden
  A Sydney man has said he was “totally amazed” when snake catchers removed a bumper haul of 102 venomous snakes from a single spot in his backyard.
  David Stein called in snake relocators after seeing what he estimated were six red-bellied black snakes on a large mulch pile on his property in the western Sydney suburb of Horsley Park on Friday.
  After Stein’s dog was bitten by a juvenile red-bellied black in December, he said it was a “relief” the snakes were no longer making his yard their home, but also happy “they’ll be released into the wild in a safe environment and preserved”.
  As for why they were all in his yard:
  He said it was common for female red-bellies to share birthing sites, “but actually being there and the babies being born, I haven’t seen anything like that. It’s a highlight”.
  Bonus:
  He said the final tally would climb from 102 because one female was yet to give birth.
  
  Thanks!
  I wonder if they'll be able to stop it from happening again, sounds like the sneks found a spot they really like lol
  Feel bad for poor doggo though..