A few snakes disappearing into a backyard mulch pile had seemed like a worrying but manageable problem for a family in Sydney’s west. Then snake catchers started digging through it. At a property in Horsley Park, the reptiles had been slipping into the mulch for about two weeks, prompting the homeowners to call professionals after repeated sightings. What followed was far beyond what anyone expected. More than 40 red-bellied black snakes were pulled from the pile during the initial search, but the total soon climbed as several adult females gave birth after being caught. By the time the snakes were counted and checked, 102 had been recovered, including five adults and 97 young. The discovery was described by the snake-catching company as its biggest ever find of red-bellied black snakes. The venomous reptiles were later approved for release deep inside a national park, away from the suburban homes where they had been found.
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