Beware: snake season has arrived as a slippery reptile clears out Officeworks at Port Noarlunga
As temperatures rise, snakes are starting to come out of hibernation, with the reptiles slithering into unusual places … like an Officeworks store.
SA News
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A metre-long brown snake gave Officeworks customers a shock when it slithered its way through the doors of its Port Noarlunga store on Friday.
Employees attempted to stop the snake before it slipped through their barricade, prompting them to raise the emergency alarm and evacuate customers.
The snake made its way through the store and disappeared under a number of shelves before the snake catchers arrived and captured it.
Senior worker Scott Green said it was the last thing he expected to see but the situation was quickly resolved.
“Basically, the snake came through the atrium and the team attempted to stop the snake from entering the store by closing the doors and putting a cardboard box across the bottom,” Mr Green said.
“But it snuck through, got through and basically came in through the store, so the team enacted the emergency evacuation just for the safety of all the customers.
“People were obviously inconvenienced by not being able to shop when they expected to but we were able to turn the situation around pretty quickly and got everything back up and running.”
Meanwhile, as warmer temperatures begin to heat up around the state, snakes are starting to come out of hibernation to seek cooler shelter under shrubs, gardens and beaches.
Snake Catcher Adelaide says it receives 80-90 calls a day during prolonged snake seasons, with residents from Gawler, Victor Harbor and Murray Bridge marking the highest number of sightings, followed by Sellicks Beach, O’Halloran and Glenelg, the Adelaide Hills, River Murray and Kangaroo Island.
Snake Catcher herpetologist Rolly Burrell said that there is no practical way to ‘snake-proof’ a property, and that residents should avoid putting up backyard fencing barriers as it restricts snakes’ movement and puts domestic pets at risk of being attacked.
“There is no way to get rid of snakes,” he said.
“They’re not aggressive reptiles so if you spot a snake, keep an eye out at a distance, don’t keep moving and call a professional.”
Department for Environment and Water’s principal ecologist Dr Karl Hillyward said gardeners and other residents enjoying the outdoors should be careful around the home.
“Just because you’ve never seen a snake on your property doesn’t mean they aren’t there, so you should always be carefully about putting your hand or feet into spots you can’t see,” he said.
Mr Burrell said if someone gets bitten by a snake, they should tightly bandage the wounded area, restrain any movement in the limb and avoid washing the area, then call an ambulance.
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