'It was terrifying': Homeowner uncovers an unbelievable surprise in his suburban backyard
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A seemingly ordinary backyard in suburban Sydney became the site of an unimaginable discovery.
What one homeowner thought was just a few snakes quickly turned into a terrifying reality.
As the situation unfolded, it became clear that this was no typical backyard encounter.
In a surprising discovery in Horsley Park, Western Sydney, David Stein found himself face-to-face with an infestation of red-bellied black snakes in his suburban backyard.
The shocking find, which initially began with just six snakes, soon revealed a staggering total of 102 venomous reptiles.
Stein, who had recently mulched around his trees, ventured into his backyard early last week to inspect the area.
It was there that he saw a pile of snakes resting on the mulch.
‘By the time I got my camera, they went into the pile of mulch,’ he recalled.
‘It was terrifying. A couple of days later, they relocated to the other side of the mulch, into separate piles.’
Stein's wife later Googled the unusual behaviour and discovered that female red-bellied black snakes often congregate like this when they are about to give birth.
‘They can birth up to 30 snakes at any one time. That’s a lot of snakes,’ Stein said.
Determined to understand the full extent of the situation, the couple began digging through the mulch pile.
To their shock, they uncovered all 102 snakes—97 newborns and five adults.
Stein was understandably taken aback by the discovery but admitted: ‘It was exciting to watch the whole thing,’ adding that he felt ‘good now they’re gone.’
Red-bellied black snakes, while venomous, are generally shy and tend to avoid humans, according to The Australian Museum.
Their venom has both anti-coagulant and myotoxic effects, with symptoms including bleeding, swelling, and nausea.
Despite their venomous nature, these snakes are known to retreat when confronted by humans.
Sydney's Reptile Relocation snake catchers, Cory and Dylan, were called to assist in removing the snakes.
Upon arriving at Stein’s property, they expected to find only a few red-bellied black snakes.
However, the situation quickly escalated as more and more snakes were unearthed.
‘101 Dalmatians? How about 102 redbellies!’ they posted on their social media account.
‘We were called to remove some red-bellied black snakes sighted on a mulch pile in the backyard of a property in Horsley Park,’ they wrote.
‘Over the last two weeks, the homeowners had sighted a couple of redbellies disappearing into and out of the mulch pile and, at this time of year, it can be common for some females to congregate and share the same birthing site.’
They continued: ‘Upon arrival, we expected to remove redbellies that had been seen. Dylan was the man for the job and got straight to work going through the mulch. Within a few minutes, we knew this was going to be unusual.’
What followed was nothing short of extraordinary: ‘Snake after snake, they just kept being uncovered.’
The catchers went in expecting four adult snakes but emerged with a total of 102—97 newborns and five adults.
Watch the video below to learn more.
With such a shocking discovery in a suburban backyard, it makes you wonder—how would you react if you found 102 snakes in your own yard?
Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
What one homeowner thought was just a few snakes quickly turned into a terrifying reality.
As the situation unfolded, it became clear that this was no typical backyard encounter.
In a surprising discovery in Horsley Park, Western Sydney, David Stein found himself face-to-face with an infestation of red-bellied black snakes in his suburban backyard.
The shocking find, which initially began with just six snakes, soon revealed a staggering total of 102 venomous reptiles.
Stein, who had recently mulched around his trees, ventured into his backyard early last week to inspect the area.
It was there that he saw a pile of snakes resting on the mulch.
‘By the time I got my camera, they went into the pile of mulch,’ he recalled.
‘It was terrifying. A couple of days later, they relocated to the other side of the mulch, into separate piles.’
Stein's wife later Googled the unusual behaviour and discovered that female red-bellied black snakes often congregate like this when they are about to give birth.
‘They can birth up to 30 snakes at any one time. That’s a lot of snakes,’ Stein said.
Determined to understand the full extent of the situation, the couple began digging through the mulch pile.
To their shock, they uncovered all 102 snakes—97 newborns and five adults.
Stein was understandably taken aback by the discovery but admitted: ‘It was exciting to watch the whole thing,’ adding that he felt ‘good now they’re gone.’
Red-bellied black snakes, while venomous, are generally shy and tend to avoid humans, according to The Australian Museum.
Their venom has both anti-coagulant and myotoxic effects, with symptoms including bleeding, swelling, and nausea.
Despite their venomous nature, these snakes are known to retreat when confronted by humans.
Sydney's Reptile Relocation snake catchers, Cory and Dylan, were called to assist in removing the snakes.
Upon arriving at Stein’s property, they expected to find only a few red-bellied black snakes.
However, the situation quickly escalated as more and more snakes were unearthed.
‘101 Dalmatians? How about 102 redbellies!’ they posted on their social media account.
‘We were called to remove some red-bellied black snakes sighted on a mulch pile in the backyard of a property in Horsley Park,’ they wrote.
‘Over the last two weeks, the homeowners had sighted a couple of redbellies disappearing into and out of the mulch pile and, at this time of year, it can be common for some females to congregate and share the same birthing site.’
They continued: ‘Upon arrival, we expected to remove redbellies that had been seen. Dylan was the man for the job and got straight to work going through the mulch. Within a few minutes, we knew this was going to be unusual.’
What followed was nothing short of extraordinary: ‘Snake after snake, they just kept being uncovered.’
The catchers went in expecting four adult snakes but emerged with a total of 102—97 newborns and five adults.
Watch the video below to learn more.
With such a shocking discovery in a suburban backyard, it makes you wonder—how would you react if you found 102 snakes in your own yard?
Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
