Sydney Homeowner Finds Over 100 Snakes in Garden Mulch

An Australian homeowner in suburban Sydney received a startling surprise recently when a snake catcher uncovered a nest of 102 snakes hiding in his backyard mulch pile, CNN reports.

David Stein had initially noticed a few snakes and contacted Reptile Relocation Sydney to investigate.

What began as a standard call quickly escalated into a remarkable discovery. Snake catcher Dylan Cooper spent three hours carefully excavating the mulch, ultimately unearthing a total of 102 red-bellied black snakes – five adults and 97 newborns, according to Reptile Relocation Sydney owner Cory Kerewaro.

Red-bellied black snakes are venomous, and while it’s known that the females sometimes congregate to give birth, witnessing such a large-scale collective birth is highly unusual. Kerewaro noted that even after some snakes were removed, one pregnant female gave birth to more newborns inside the removal bag.

According to Kerewaro, Stein contacted the snake catchers at an ideal time. Had they not intervened, the newly born snakes would likely have dispersed throughout the neighborhood.

The snakes will now be safely relocated and released into a nearby national park.