Brown snake found in kitchen of suburban home: Merriwa NSW

Terrifying moment a ‘very angry’ brown snake – the most venomous in the world – is found in the kitchen of a suburban home: ‘Let’s burn the house down!’

  • A ‘monster’ six foot long brown snake has been spotted in a rural NSW town
  • Couple said when they saw the snake they considered burning their house down
  • It took local snake catcher Andrew Luke more than an hour to catch the reptile
  • Mr Luke said the brown snake was the biggest he had ever handled 

A ‘monster’ six-foot-long brown snake in a family’s kitchen has led to a snake catcher being embroiled in a more than an hour struggle with the deadly reptile.

Rob and De Patterson encountered the terrifying and angry brown snake in their home in NSW’s Upper Hunter region earlier this week.

Mr Patterson took to Facebook to thank local snake wrangler Andrew for removing the world’s most venomous snake from their almost 700-acre property.

The Merriwa local said the catcher saved him from ‘having to burn the house down’.

A ‘monster’ six-foot-long brown snake in a family’s kitchen has led to a snake catcher being embroiled in a more than an hour struggle with the deadly reptile

Rob and De Patterson encountered the terrifying and angry brown snake in their home in Merriwa, in NSW's Upper Hunter region earlier this week

Rob and De Patterson encountered the terrifying and angry brown snake in their home in Merriwa, in NSW’s Upper Hunter region earlier this week

His wife Ms Patterson told NewsLocal she had been seeing more and more snakes in recent weeks but never had one inside her home.

‘He got into the pantry and under a little freezer and we couldn’t see where it went so I said we’ll just burn the house down but [my husband] wasn’t in favour of that,’ she said.

‘I’ve seen plenty around outside but never had one in the house … [but we have] a lot of feed [at the moment] and with the recent mice plague … and now all the rain, frogs and there’s a dam not far from the house … he was very big, fat and healthy.’

Snake wrangler and local paramedic Andrew Luke came to the family’s rescue but it wasn’t easy, taking him more than an hour to remove the biggest snake he has ever handled.

‘The six foot plus brown snake was quite agitated about being interrupted from its lovely hiding place under the freezer … we spent the next little while trying to coax him out of his little hidey hole and get him on his way,’ Mr Luke said

‘It’s certainly the biggest one I’ve ever handled, I stand over six feet tall and to get him in the bag to get him safely out of the house I was almost pretty much at full reach with my hand on his tail … and his head was still touching the floor.’

Snake wrangler and local paramedic Andrew Luke (pictured) came to the family's rescue but it wasn't easy, taking him more than an hour to remove the biggest snake he has ever handled

Snake wrangler and local paramedic Andrew Luke (pictured) came to the family’s rescue but it wasn’t easy, taking him more than an hour to remove the biggest snake he has ever handled

The terrifying encounter comes amid a spike in snake sightings across Australia as the slithery reptiles venture into backyards and homes searching for food.

Rising temperatures in the country’s east have resulted in snakes getting out and about as they look for a mate and a meal, now the winter cold is over.

While snakes don’t hibernate in the colder months, they go into a state known as ‘brumation’ where they will sleep for long periods meaning they are less active and therefore hunt less.

Brown snakes are considered the second-venomous snake in the world, after the inland taipan.

Bites from a brown snake can kill a human in half an hour if left untreated.

 

Brown snakes are considered the second-venomous snake in the world, after the inland taipan, and if a bite is left untreated can kill a human in half an hour (stock image)

Brown snakes are considered the second-venomous snake in the world, after the inland taipan, and if a bite is left untreated can kill a human in half an hour (stock image)

In October a western Sydney man was rushed to hospital after being bitten by a brown snake.

The man in his 30s was bitten at Lizard Log nature playground in Abbotsbury, in Western Sydney Parklands, a popular spot for families.

On the Central Coast, snake catcher Matt Stopford told 9News he was receiving around six calls a day to remove snakes from homes or backyards.

‘At the moment they’re just coming out of torpor, they’re starting to warm up and they’re getting on the move and starting to look for mates and food,’ he said.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE BITTEN BY A VENOMOUS SNAKE

The Australian Resuscitation Council recommends the ‘pressure-immobilisation’ technique:

– Apply a broad pressure bandage firmly and tightly

– To reduce blood flow and delay venom spread apply a further bandage starting at the fingers and toes and covering as much of the limb as possible

– Splint the limb including joints on either side of the bite, to restrict limb movement

– Keep the bite victim and the limb completely at rest

– Bring transport to the victim if possible

– Transport the victim to medical care, preferably by ambulance

– If alone, the victim should apply the pressure immobilisation bandage as completely as possible over the bite site and affected limb and keep immobile until assistance arrives

Do NOT wash the area of the bite or try to suck out the venom:

It is extremely important to retain traces of venom for use with venom identification kits.

Do NOT incise or cut the bite, or apply a high tourniquet:

Cutting or incising the bite won’t help. High tourniquets are ineffective and can be fatal if released.

 Source: The Australian Resuscitation Council

***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk