Wild Encounters snake catcher Sam Howard saves day in Nerang with record haul of sex-mad tree snakes
A NERANG family have been given a fright after discovering a record haul of snakes having a group sex romp in their backyard pool.
A NERANG family have been given a fright after discovering a record haul of snakes having a group sex romp in their backyard pool.
News of the rarely-seen snake orgy at the home of Ray and Sue Jeffery has created a buzz among the local snake-catching fraternity.
The Jefferys, who recently moved to the Gold Coast from Sydney, found the unwelcome visitors making whoopee when home with Mr Jeffery’s parents at 6.30pm on Wednesday.
Mr Jeffery said his father was on an upper-level deck when he spotted the lust-ridden reptiles in an unused pool which was home to shallow water, geckos and cane toads.
“There was this mangled medusa of snakes — just a big tangle,” Mr Jeffery said.
“My wife is very squeamish about snakes and she started packing her bags to leave immediately.”
They called Worongary snake catch Samuel Howard of Wild Encounters, who promptly arrived and identified them as non-poisonous tree snakes before capturing them all into a sack.
Mr Howard, 25, said tree snakes were the only species out of 21 on the Gold Coast which indulged in orgies when mating.
In other species the males would fight it out before getting down to business.
“But the tree snakes will just sit tight and wait for the other boys to be done,” Mr Howard said.
“They are kind of happy to live the orgy lifestyle in breeding season, whereas every other type of snake doesn’t, males will fight each other off.
“It was quite a cool thing to be able to be able to witness.
“There were eight snakes within half a square metre, two females and two males mating, another female and male lying there and two other males just waiting their turn until after the boys had finished.
“It’s not a very common thing to see at all,” Mr Howard said, adding eight snakes at once was a record haul for his firm.
“We watched it for about half an hour.
“There is a good chance they would have been doing it for hours.”
Snake call-outs were increasing with Wild Encounters receiving six to 10 calls a day across the Gold Coast from people wanting them removed, he said.
“We’re starting to see a lot more now we are getting into mating season. They are out and about.”
In a call-out on Tuesday, he recovered a large carpet python from an Elanora woman’s wardrobe a day after she had shooed a smaller one outside by herself.
Mr Howard said snakes did not tend to discriminate and could be found anywhere from the Hinterland to the city.
“We find them in high-rises, granny flats, everywhere.”
Mr Howard said the best approach if bitten by a poisonous snake was to apply a pressure bandage and call 000.
If possible, a photo of the snake should be taken to help identify the venom.
“Stay calm and don’t wash the wound, because when you get to the hospital they will test what you have been bitten by.”
Meanwhile, Mr Jeffery said the $80 call-out fee for the snake catcher was a bargain and everyone slept well that night — including his wife.
Originally published as Wild Encounters snake catcher Sam Howard saves day in Nerang with record haul of sex-mad tree snakes