NEWCASTLE HERALD (Australia) 17 December 13 Snakes heading to suburbs (Tim Connell)

As Tanya Judd noticed the snake dangling above her toddler, her first thought was, ‘‘What would Bear Grylls do?’’

Thirteen-month-old Tobias Judd was playing in his family’s Whitebridge backyard when his mother, filming on her phone, saw something slither across the fence.

A snake, brown in colour, was coiled on the rail.

Mrs Judd’s thoughts turned to the TV survival expert.

‘‘What raced through my head was, ‘What would Bear Grylls do?’,’’ she said.

‘‘Would it be ‘Make no sudden movements’? Then I thought, ‘Who cares, I’m just going to grab him’.’’

The video captures the moment Mrs Judd saw the snake, swore and gathered up Tobias. With her son safely inside, she got rid of the snake by blasting it off the fence with a hose.

Shaking, she then phoned her husband Ben at work and emailed him the video.

‘‘I didn’t believe her at first,’’ he said.

‘‘He’s only just started walking, so this is a good introduction.’’

The Judds, whose house doesn’t back on to bushland, said Tobias remained oblivious to what the fuss was about. The family have never seen a snake in their yard before.

Dean Hunter, of Hunter Reptile and Vermin Control, said the number of sightings had ‘‘exploded’’ in an unprecedented summer for snakes in suburbia.

The Hunter’s warmest winter on record cut short the snakes’ hibernation, he said, while fires followed by record November rainfall drove them out of the bush.

Most of Mr Hunter’s calls are to remove red-bellied black snakes and eastern browns, the second-most venomous land species in the world.

‘‘Their populations have exploded like rabbits. We’re getting them where we haven’t seen them before,’’ Mr Hunter said.

‘‘We’ll get a call to a car yard in Maitland, or to [an eastern] brown in someone’s swimming pool.’’

He said hosing a snake off a fence was ‘‘not a bad idea’’. The key is to keep your distance and wear protective footwear.

Your nearest snake catcher can be found on the Environment Department’s reptile handlers list.

For more information, call the Environment Line: 1300361967. Or email: info@environment.nsw.gov.au.
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