Reptile handlers recovered 102 venomous red-bellied black snakes from a mulch pile at a property in Sydney, a discovery that has baffled experts.
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An Australian man has described feeling "the shudders" after more than 100 venomous red-bellied black snakes were rescued from a mulch pile in his backyard in Sydney.
David Stein called Reptile Relocation Sydney last week after he saw a few snakes slither into the mulch at his home in suburban Horsley Park on Sydney’s western outskirts.
Snake catcher Dylan Cooper arrived the same day and ended up bagging 102 pregnant and newborn snakes.
"Just seeing that amount in one group, it gives you a bit of the shudders," Stein said.
The owner of Reptile Relocation Sydney, Cory Kerewaro, said two of the captured adult snakes gave birth to a total of 29 snakes in the bag while Cooper was still sifting through the mulch to catch more.
The final tally was five adults and 97 offspring, he said.
Kerewaro said the biggest haul he'd heard of in a similar snake removal job was 30 non-venomous carpet pythons. Pythons hatch from eggs while red-belly blacks give birth.
"You can get a decent number like that when the babies are hatching," Kerewaro said. "But to have this many venomous snakes, no one’s come across it."
Experts are unclear as to why so many snakes would give birth in such a short timeframe.
Scott Eipper, who has written several books about Australian snakes, said pregnant red-belly blacks may congregate for safety or a due to a lack of suitable habitat to give birth.
The extraordinarily hot weather in Sydney could have triggered the births, he explained.
"This is an isolated incident. It’s certainly a very rare occurrence."
Government authorities on Thursday gave Kerewaro permission to release the rescued snakes into a national park.
"They’ll be far enough away to avoid any human interaction: 100 snakes are going into the middle of the bush in the middle of nowhere," Kerewaro said.
In December, Stein’s Jack Russell terrier killed a juvenile red-bellied black that bit her. The dog spent four days in an animal hospital and recovered after receiving antivenom.
Stein said he had been warned that snakes could return to give birth in the mulch pile at the same time next year.
"Within the next couple of days, this big pile of mulch will be gone," he said.