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ABC News
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National

AFP catch 'intruder' at Adelaide office, as snake catcher warns sightings will rise with temperatures

AFP officers have lawfully removed a brown snake from its Adelaide Airport office, prompting calls from a snake catcher to be on the look-out for snakes with the weather finally warming up. 

The AFP posted on social media that officers had secured a brown snake in the basement car park of the building. 

"While waiting for the catcher to arrive, the duty sergeant took this X-ray of the box to confirm the snake was safely contained," the post reads. 

"We aren't usually in the business of snakes (depends who you ask though), but with temperatures starting to rise, remember to take care of yourselves and your animals.

"Thanks to our Adelaide team for the lawful removal of this intruder." 

Adelaide Snake Catchers owner-operator Rudy Della-Flora said snake spottings would be on the rise with warmer weather on the way. 

"We haven't really had lots of hot weather, that's probably still to come so God knows what is going to happen then, but they are out and about — that's for sure," he said. 

The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast the temperature to reach 32 degrees Celsius in Adelaide on Christmas Day and 37C on Boxing Day.

Mr Della-Flora said when it was 35C and over he would receive 20 call-outs a day on average. 

"The majority are brown snakes, occasionally we get red bellies, rarely we get tiger snakes unless they are up in the Riverland ... but the majority of calls are for brown snakes," he said. 

"It doesn't really matter where you live, the chances are you could find one, which is scary sometimes for people."

Snakes have been seen moving quickly through floodwaters in areas along the overflowing River Murray. 

"Who knows what is going to happen in the next couple of weeks when they start coming down with the water," Mr Della-Flora said.

"The water is going to bring them down obviously, it will be very interesting." 

Reminder to seal doors

Mr Della-Flora said the best way to ensure snakes do not end up indoors is to make sure doors are sealed from the outside. 

"If you can get your thumb or your little finger under a door then there's a possibility a snake can get under it," he said. 

"So, you put a weather strip on the outside of your door, as close to the ground as possible.

"In the summer months for now on whenever you are outside, always keep your phone with you because a lot of the time what happens is people see it, run inside to grab their phone or make a phone call, come back out and it's gone."

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