Deadly eastern brown snake found in Queensland family’s gumboot

In a timely reminder to check your shoes before putting them on, one of the world’s deadliest snakes needed to be extracted from a gumboot in Queensland.

A Queensland family received a fright when one of the world’s most venomous snakes was spotted slithering into laundry before settling down in a gumboot.

Reptile removalists, Southern Downs Snake Catchers, were called to an address on Yangan Rd at Warwick on Friday after the callers first spotted the eastern brown snake moving along a low shelf.

The Southern Downs Snake Catchers wrote on their Facebook page that it was a timely reminder to check your shoes before putting them on.

An eastern brown snake, taken from a Warwick household’s gumboot. Picture: Southern Downs Snake Catchers / Facebook.

“Snakes will often find the smallest place they can to hide, somewhere they will feel safe and secure, (so) that they won’t think potential predators will be able to see or reach them,” they said.

“This lil guy is a perfect example of why we should check our shoes before putting them on, as well as being careful when moving other things outside.”

According to Queensland’s Department of Environment and Science, said the eastern brown is usually found in bushland and rural parts around Brisbane.

Not what you want to find inside a gumboot. Picture: Picture: Southern Downs Snake Catchers / Facebook.

“It is distributed throughout all but the western parts of Queensland,” the department said.

“It is uncommon in the settled areas of Brisbane but occasional sightings do occur.”

In 2020, two men in Queensland were killed after being bitten by eastern brown snakes.

In January 2020, Roger Taylor died after he was bitten by an eastern brown snake at his Vale View property, south west of Toowoomba, while in September of the same year Tongan fruit picker Timote Ongosia died after he was bitten near Dimbulah.