Snakes battle for love at the Mackay Botanic Garden Cafe

Cafe customers didn’t even flinch as two huge carpet pythons tangled in pursuit of a female partner only tables away. See the pictures.

Regulars at the Botanic Garden Cafe did not even flinch as two snakes battled it out only metres away.

Business owner Clifford Stocks said the snakes were regulars at the cafe, having made their home in the neighbouring gardens.

He said he believed the two snakes were entangled with each other fighting on the deck of the popular Mackay cafe as he snapped a photo.

“It’s mating season, love is in the air,” Mr Stocks said.

“I think those two were two males fighting over a female.”

‘And when they fight on the roof, it sounds like someone is banging on it with a hammer’. Picture: Clifford Stocks

He said while the snakes did not usually interrupt anyone’s high tea, they could cause a bit of disruption to the dining experience when mating season heated up.

“They’ll be fighting up in the rafters and just fall straight down,” Mr Stocks said.

“And when they fight on the roof, it sounds like someone is banging on it with a hammer.”

Mr Stocks said while the snakes were commonplace in the cafe, their coming and going was still unpredictable. Picture: Clifford Stocks

Mr Stocks said while the snakes were commonplace in the cafe, their coming and going was still unpredictable.

“Sometimes they come every day for six months, then they’ll disappear, then they’ll be back for two weeks and away for another two,” Mr Stocks said.

Mackay's Botanic Garden Cafe's regular reptile visitors. Picture: Clifford Stocks

Mr Clifford said visits from their reptilian clients did not phase staff or regulars, but some newer customers were often “horrified”.

“Some people can’t hack it, they start screaming and freaking out, often their friends need to pull them away,” Mr Stocks said.

“But others come to see them, they love them.”