It’s not unusual to find a lost toy in a child’s car seat, but for one Tranmere family, the discovery was far more sinister – a deadly tiger snake inside their car seat.
Sandford’s Craig Budd volunteers with Reptile Rescue and received the unusual callout to Oceana Drive just before 8pm on Tuesday after the family spotted the snake make its way into a car seat sitting on their garage floor.
Budd found the venomous tiger snake neatly tucked away under a velcro flap at the front of the seat.
“I think they [the family] were pretty freaked out about it,” he said.
“I’d looked all around the car seat, couldn’t see anything at all. Basically turned it over and then lifted up this flap and there’s a snake nice and neatly tucked away.”
He said this was a first for him in his 11 years of volunteering as a snake handler.
“I’ve had them in bedrooms, in cupboards, in cars, under cars, had them in all sorts of things, had them in buckets, in bins and you name it, this was the first in a car seat,” he said.
Tiger snakes are the fourth most venomous snake species in the world. Tasmania has three venomous snake species – all ranking in the world’s top 10 most deadly.
Budd used specialised equipment to safely remove and relocate the snake.
He said this summer had been quieter than last year’s “flat out” season, with cooler weather keeping snakes less active.
Budd warned people never to attempt killing or relocating snakes themselves.
“You’re ten times more likely to get bitten trying to kill it or relocate it yourself,” he said.
Reptile Rescue operates on donations to cover fuel costs for volunteers. He encouraged anyone to help out with donations.
“I don’t know any tradesman that would go out at eight o’clock of a night and travel that far for $80 to cover their fuel,” he said.
