HELP, there’s a SNAKE in my SLIPPER

60+ CALLS A DAY FOR REPTILE RESCUES

INSIDE cars, in garden sheds and public toilets, and even in someone’s slipper — these are some of the places residents are shocked to find snakes lurking.

Tassie’s snake catchers are reporting a spike in call-outs — up to 71 on Tuesday alone – which they attribute to coinciding with the height of the breeding season.

INSIDE cars, in garden sheds and public toilets, and even in someone’s slipper — these are some of the places Tasmanian residents are discovering snakes lurking.

Snake catchers have reported a spike in call-outs, which they have attributed to coinciding with the snake breeding season.

Chris Daly from Reptile Rescue Tasmania said there had been 71 call-outs for the service statewide on Tuesday.

On Monday, the service responded to 47 call-outs, with 63 on Sunday.

Mr Daly said his phone had run hot and in recent days he had caught all three snake species most commonly seen in Tasmania — tiger, copperhead and white-lipped.

“It’s because of the breeding season and the weather pattern,’’ he said.

“Snakes are on the move and in search of water.

“We’ve had snakes found in toilets after people had used them. But as far as snakes go, it doesn’t really surprise me anymore: snakes can pop up anywhere.”

Mr Daly responded to a report of a juvenile copperhead on Collins St on Monday, not far from the Royal Hobart Hospital.

He said it was unusual to see a snake in the Hobart CBD, describing Kingston, Blackmans Bay, Margate, Tranmere, Howrah and Lauderdale as common spots.

Reptile Rescue had responded to four calls in Lauderdale alone for the day by mid-Tuesday afternoon. But Mr Daly said it was common to have this number of callouts this time of year.

“People seem to think that we’re having snakes in plague proportions, but it’s exactly the same as the season usually works out,’’ he said.

“With social media, people are just more aware of it.”

Mr Daly said the service had more than 60 volunteers, but most of them worked daytime hours, meaning they had about a dozen statewide they could use all day, every day.

Scott Smith from North West Snake Catchers was called to remove a snake that found its way inside a car at Meunna on Tuesday.

“I reckon the mechanics at Toyota are probably glad we got this tiger out from under the bonnet before the car went in for a service,” he said.

Tiger snakes have been out in force in the North-West, with the snake catcher finding them in sheds, busy suburban streets and even a pair of slippers.

Mr Smith was called to pick up “a thumper of a tiger” along Roslyn Avenue in Burnie on Sunday.