If you thought snakes only slither around at ground level, you’re wrong. SO VERY WRONG. Turns out some snakes are partial to the baby’s nursery. EEEP!
Gold coast mum, Aleisha Mitchley, made the horrific discovery of a metre-long eastern brown snake in her four-month-old daughter’s cot over the weekend.
We can only imagine all of the sheer terror and heart palpitations Aleisha must have felt to have clapped eyes on one of Australia’s most deadliest snakes in her home, let alone in her baby’s bed.
Snakes alive!
Thankfully baby Sophia had vacated the cot an hour earlier. Nonetheless, the slithery find has Aleisha (understandably) anxious, saying “I couldn’t believe it could climb, so it was climbing through the window”.
WARNING: Snake season has arrived. A mother has had the fright of her life after finding a deadly brown snake in her four-month-old daughter’s cot. #9Newshttps://t.co/0rQi6ZKJ9K
— Nine News Sydney (@9NewsSyd) September 23, 2018
Snakes on a mission
“It was petrifying, I was very scared, I didn’t know what to do,” Aleisha told 9 News. “I’m trying to reach for my phone and stop my son from trying to go see the snake. It was very scary.”
It was up around the bassinet, in her cot, it was all over.
With the weather warming up and mating season imminent, experts warn snakes are most definitely on the move. Gold Coast snake catcher Tony Harrison says: “The males are on a mission to find a female and they’ll travel out in the open, across roads, people’s back yards, everything”.
Not convinced this wasn’t just a one off? You might remember the time there was a carpet snake in a child’s water bottle or that time a deadly eastern brown snake launched itself from the kids Lego set. Yeah, we haven’t forgotten either. With that said, I urge you to batten down the hatches, secure pet doors and don’t leave screen doors ajar.
If you DO happen to have an unwelcome visitor of the snake variety, for the love of LIVING, please don’t attempt to catch it or coax it out yourself. Call your local snake catcher, wildlife officer or your local council who will be able to help. And take another look at our article about what to do if a snake bites your child.
