A huge venomous snake has been pulled out of an Indian restaurant after it was spotted inside a busy shopping centre near Perth Airport.
The brown snake was hiding behind boxers near the counter of Mumbai Rocks located in Perth’s DFO shopping centre in the city’s east.
Considered one of the world’s most deadliest snakes, they are commonly found in southern parts of Western Australia and Rottnest Island.
And it’s not uncommon to spot one slithering through the sand dunes at Perth’s beautiful beaches.
Perth Hills Reptile Remover Adam Firstenberg said it was the first time he had been called out to rescue a deadly creature from inside a shopping centre. Picture: Facebook
But Perth Hills Reptile Remover Adam Firstenberg said it was a first for him to rescue the deadly creature from inside a shopping centre.
He responded to cries for help when the snake was spotted behind the counter of the Indian restaurant.
Mr Firstenberg said while it was highly unusual to rescue a snake from inside a busy shopping centre, they actually got quite a few calls out for the area.
The huge venomous dugite was hiding behind boxes near the counter of the Mumbai Rocks Indian restaurant inside Perth’s DFO shopping centre. Picture: Facebook
Perth’s DFO is located near the airport and is surrounded by “big chunks of bush” that run between the Tonkin Highway and shopping centre, with several industrial sites located around the area.
Mr Firstenberg said there was a corridor of thick bush where the snake likely travelled through, then slithered its way into the shopping centre through a loading dock entry or made its way inside on a pallet.
“It was a random one … about 98 per cent of our callouts come from people who find a snake in their garden or home,” he said.
“There’s no telling what time it ended up at the back of the shops, so we really don’t know how long it had been in there.”
Adam Firstenberg said the restaurant staff were “petrified” when he arrived and felt very relieved when he successfully removed the snake. Picture: Facebook
Mr Firstenberg said the restaurant staff were “petrified” when he arrived and felt very relieved when he successfully removed the snake.
“It isn’t just humans that need to finish up their Christmas shopping,” he quipped.
“Luckily the staff had done a great job of keeping an eye on the snake, and it was taking refuge behind some boxes behind the counter of Mumbai Rocks.
“An easy catch, and then came the tricky part of finding a suitable release spot.
“A snake inside this shopping centre is a very rare occurrence, and a huge surprised it even happened in the first place.”