An Aussie family had quite a shocking end to their Christmas Day celebrations. They spotted something small and “deadly” moving under their child’s bouncer.
Luckily reptile catcher Mark Pelley answered the call just after 11.30 pm on Wednesday and rushed to the South Morang home, situated in northeast Melbourne, to help. “The first thing I lifted was the child’s baby bouncer, and I found the tiger snake underneath it,” he told Yahoo News Australia.
“The snake could have been there for a lot longer, and it could have been crawling in around the baby’s toys, but they just didn’t notice it. It was a real Christmas Day surprise,” he laughed.
Four deaths from tiger snake bites have been recorded in Australia. Source: Facebook/TheSnakeHunter
Tiger snakes are the ‘fifth most venomous snakes’ in the world
The species of snake look unassuming as they are often small, but their venom packs a serious punch.
“This eastern tiger snake is the fifth most venomous snake in the world and even though it’s small it’s still incredibly deadly. They hide in the most unique places inside the home,” Mark said.
Tiger snakes have a fierce reputation as they are known to “hold their ground”, snake catcher Scott Smith told Yahoo News last week. However, many Aussies will never encounter one due to the snake’s impressive ability to hide and adapt to some of the most inhospitable environments in Australia.
“The cocktail of venom is lethal,” Smith explained after finding one in among clothes in a Tasmanian resident’s wardrobe. “[They] can be extremely deadly but like most snakes, they want to just be left alone to do their thing.”
Tiger snakes account for an estimated 17 per cent of snake bites in the country but only four official deaths have been recorded.
Watch the moment unfold:
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