Pemulwuy: Red-bellied black snake captured at Driftway Drive
Snakes in a western Sydney suburb aren’t going anywhere in a hurry. Find out how to stop one of the venomous creatures flexing its fangs on you.
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A red-bellied black snake that was captured at a Pemulwuy house recently is not the only one who likes to call the suburb home.
The venomous snake was found in a Driftway Dr garage after it found a gap between it and the house on March 1.
Australian Snake Catchers’ Sean Cade said, like most snakes in urban areas, the juvenile was looking to escape the heat.
Pemulwuy’s waterways are other places the species likes to dwell.
“They’re a semi aquatic species anyway,’’ Mr Cade said.
“They’ll eat, hunt, mate in the water.”
But development also forces snakes to retreat to homes.
Mr Cade said construction prompted snakes to move outwards but return to their original homes even after an area was developed, making them likely to encroach on homes.
“The habitual destruction is a massive thing for us,’’ he said.
“It’s frustrating when they smash all this habitat and they get nothing left.
“There’s still a little bit of development going on around Clunies Ross St. They’re getting pushed with a lot of urban development going around.”
Mr Cade, who was called to six jobs at Pemulwuy over summer, said snakes weren’t given enough credit.
“We hear about koalas and kangaroos and who cares about the snakes? They’ve got a very important role in the environment,’’ he said.
“They’re natural pest control. If you kill all our snakes we’re going to be overrun by rodents and frogs — just pests generally.”
Residents are advised to keep an eye on snakes to assist snake catchers but not to approach them.
The red-bellied snake discovered at Pemulwuy did not harm the homeowners, who called Mr Cade to rescue it before he released it into a more suitable habitat.
“Red-bellied black snakes are quite timid species,’’ he said.
“No snakes are aggressive. Our snakes are defensive. They only have fangs to defend themselves.
“When a red-bellied snake is agitated it will flatten itself a bit like a cobra. Ninety per cent of people who are bitten are trying to catch them or trying to kill them so if you don’t do one of those two things you’ll reduce your chances by 90 per cent.”
Residents are advised to ensure no gaps in buildings allow snakes to enter.
He advised against using solar panel repellents because they attract snakes.