Snakes in Whittlesea: Doreen, Mernda hot spots for copperhead and tiger snakes
A snake catcher is warning locals to be vigilant after numerous sightings of highly-venomous breeds in two hotspots, saying one was seen eating goldfish from a pond in Melbourne’s north. And he is warning dog owners to be especially cautious.
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Snakes have been spotted in big numbers across the northern suburbs, with one seen eating goldfish from a pond near Mernda Village Shopping Centre.
Mark Pelley, known as The Snake Hunter, said along with the goldfish-eating tiger snake, he had also recently been called out to remove a copperhead snake which was sunning itself on a statue outside a woman’s house.
Mr Pelley was also called out to help a mum who spotted a snake underneath her car, and has received two calls to remove snakes from the inside of people’s homes.
He said all the snakes were captured and safely removed from the area.
All the calls were from residents in Mernda, Doreen and Whittlesea.
On the Thomastown 3074 Facebook page, a local said they spotted two snakes in 30 minutes on Monday near the bike path along Whittlesea Gardens.
On the Mernda and Doreen 3754 Facebook page on Saturday, someone reported seeing a snake at the duck pond park on the corner of Mernda Village Drive and Plenty Rd Mernda.
“Mernda and Doreen are very common places for me to find venomous snakes,” Mr Pelley said.
“The area used to be farmland and there was an odd snake here and there native to the area.
“In the last 10 years we built up thousands of houses in Mernda and Doreen over the same territory.
“What that has done is create shelter, a source of food and a source of water for every single snake.
“The snake population numbers are actually booming in Mernda and Doreen.”
Mr Pelley said the vast majority of snakes in Doreen and Mernda were tiger snakes or lowland copperheads.
He said he expected to receive even more calls in the coming weeks as the weather heated up.
Mr Pelley said snakes had emerged from a state in winter called brumation, where they basically did nothing but rest.
He said they were now starving and searching for food, and the “boys are chasing the girls”.
He advised people who saw a snake to move away from it immediately.
“It won’t harm you unless you touch it or poke it,” he said.
“Keep an eye on it from a safe distance and call your closest snake catcher and make sure you keep people and pets away from the snake.”
Mr Pelley also urged dog owners to be cautious.
“Thousands of dogs get bitten and killed by snakes every single year,” he said.
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