NSW gardener captures moment red-bellied black snakes turn on him

The amorous snakes did not take kindly to being filmed during their love-making session and took action.

A NSW gardener has captured the moment two red-bellied black snakes turned on him.

The spring mating season has begun on the NSW east coast, and snakes are on the move to breed and fight for females.

Earlier this month, Karin Hocking captured footage of two “huge” red-bellied black snakes wresting in Old Bar, on the Mid-North Coast.

“I was just amazed at what I was seeing … they were huge,” she said.

Lake Macquarie gardener Craig Smailes has now shared a video of two amorous red bellies turning their attention to him as he filmed.

Karin Hocking filmed two red-bellied black snakes earlier this month.

Smailes, who works at the local PCYC, had finished mowing the lawn there when a mate called him over to look at the snakes.

“Everyone said that it was intriguing, and no one expected them to turn and chase me,” he told The Daily Telegraph.

He said one of the snakes was particularly aggressive.

“He (the snake) eyeballed me as if saying ‘get outta here’,” he added.

Mr Smailes said he was forced to use a leaf blower to scare the snake off.

While venomous, red-bellied black snakes are considered one of the least dangerous snakes in Australia and there are no recorded deaths to date because of their bite.

Despite this, they are one of the most frequently encountered snakes on the east coast of Australia.

Karin Hocking filmed two red-bellied black snakes earlier this month.

“Many bite victims experience only mild or negligible symptoms; however, a number also end up hospitalised,” the Australian Museum says on its website.

“The health risks to children and pets are greater due to their smaller size. As individual reactions to envenomation can vary, all suspected bites should be treated as serious and medical attention sought as soon as possible.”

Originally published as NSW gardener captures moment red-bellied black snakes turn on him