Living in Australia means you may occasionally come across a snake on your property, but one Sydney homeowner encountered far more than he expected. After spotting a few snakes in a pile of mulch in his backyard, David Stein contacted Reptile Relocation Sydney for help.
When snake catcher Dylan Cooper arrived to investigate, he uncovered a shocking 102 snakes—five adults and 97 newborns—hidden within the mulch. The discovery was confirmed by Reptile Relocation Sydney’s owner, Cory Kerewaro, who explained that red-bellied black snakes are a venomous species known for their habit of congregating in groups to give birth.
What makes this case particularly unusual is that someone actually witnessed the birth of dozens of snakes.
Kerewaro noted, “It’s never really been seen. It’s pretty bizarre.” He explained that one of the pregnant female snakes, which had been removed from the mulch pile, actually gave birth to more snakes inside the removal bag. It took snake catcher Dylan Cooper about three hours to remove all of the snakes on Friday.
Stein’s timing was fortunate, according to Kerewaro, as the snakes were about to disperse into the neighborhood. “They’d just been born and were ready to venture out into the world,” said Kerewaro. “He got us at the right time.”
Stein, who lives in Horsley Park, about 20 miles from downtown Sydney, shared his experience on a morning show, explaining that he first spotted the snakes last week in the mulch he had used to keep his trees healthy.
He recalled seeing “a pile of snakes on the mulch pile,” which gave him quite a scare. “By the time I got my camera… they went into the pile of mulch,” Stein said. Initially, he thought there were about six snakes, describing the situation as “terrifying.”
A couple of days later, the snakes had moved to the other side of the mulch and were found in two separate piles. After some research, Stein’s wife learned that female snakes often gather in one spot when they’re about to give birth, suggesting that there could be many more snakes. This prompted him to call in Reptile Relocation Sydney.
Although Stein found the whole situation exciting to witness, he expressed relief, saying, “I feel good now they’re gone.”
The snakes will now be relocated to a national park, according to Kerewaro.