We have had several sightings of Brown Tree Snakes at the property since we moved in; the first one was the day we moved in. Other encounters have been in the air-conditioner unit and on the verandah – we have kind of got used to seeing them.
When we came across a big and really chilled one on the verandah, we said hello, took a photo and went to bed. Next morning…. we went to water the raised veggie bed – we had only commissioned it that previous week and were very proud that the seedlings, some of which we’d grown were sprouting beautifully, we had mulched it well, fed it and added netting to keep our little treasures safe. To these newbie gardeners it all looked very professional. However, much to our horror, we found our friendly tree snake totally wrapped up and suspended in the netting and looking really pale and unhappy.
We quickly dressed in long pants, boots and gloves and set about trying to get her down. We unwrapped the netting from the garden bed, but it just got worse for the snake. We took snips and worked as close as we dared, holding the snake with a window opening pole. She ended up with a ballerina’s tutu and as we let her move a little, she tried to remove it herself on two bricks – this wasn’t happening for her. So Carolyn gently held her head down with the pole as Andrew got closer, but the netting was digging right into her skin – we needed help! We called many snake people without luck and then called the wildlife rehab centre in Eumundi; they were super helpful but couldn’t take her in as she is venomous, even if only mildly. They connected us with Luke Huntley, a snake catcher in Noosa, who agreed to meet us there. Andrew had managed to gently get her in a bag by this stage.
It’s half an hour drive from Kenilworth to Eumundi – the team and Luke welcomed us warmly and thanked us for taking care of her. Luke carefully took hold of her and everyone marvelled at her size – she’s nearly 2m. Luke expertly cut the last of the netting off, and then much to our surprise said we should take her home. So we did but kind of hoping Mundi, as she’s now known (after her trip to Eumundi), would like it better in the trees than in our cabin. We let her go about 1km away from where we captured her in a densely forested part of our property. We were delighted she looked so healthy as she slithered off.
Later that evening she was back on our verandah – I guess we are living in her space. Welcome home Mundi!
Lessons learned – netting can potentially harm wildlife – we will not use that style of netting again. There are good people around in the Sunshine Coast to help with wildlife encounters. We are so appreciative of the staff at Eumundi Wildlife Rehab Centre and Luke who were all working on a Saturday morning.
We hope this story will remind people to consider the materials they use around their properties and the potential impacts on wildlife.
Article and photos by Carolyn and Andrew Bellamy
Land for Wildlife members
Kenilworth, Sunshine Coast