MELBOURNE, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Experts have warned that Victorians should brace for a bumper snake season after cooler than usual temperatures.
Snake catchers across the state said they have encountered an alarming number of snakes already as unseasonably cold weather gave way to summer.
Barry Goldsmith of Snake Catcher Victoria said snakes in the northern and western suburbs of Melbourne were particularly active and were expected to be throughout summer.
"With all the rain the grass has grown so there's more mice and rodents living out there in the grass. Once the sun burns off the grass and everything goes brown, mice and critters will invade houses and snakes will follow them in," Goldsmith told News Limited on Thursday.
"It's been a cool start to the year so not a lot of snakes, but as it warms up it's going to be red-hot and there will be a lot of people come into contact with snakes."
Of the snakes captured around Melbourne, tiger snakes are most common followed by the eastern brown snake, the second most venomous snake in the world.
Jason Donnelly, also a snake catcher, said he removed three brown snakes from one property in Warrandyte, 24 km northeast of Melbourne's CBD, on the same day ranging from 1.2 to 1.4 meters in length.
"They are looking for feed. I've had a lot of brown snakes around people's front doors, back doors and garages," Donnelly said.
"They are all around, but particularly along waterways, creeks and rivers."
Urban expansion has been termed as a reason for why snakes are increasingly being spotted in suburban areas with new suburbs being erected in city fringe areas that snakes have occupied undisturbed for decades.
"Don't try to catch or kill it. That's how people get bitten. If you can keep an eye on it it's the best way to increase our chance of catching it," snake catcher Adam Sapiano warned.
"Always watch from a safe distance, which is as far away as possible without losing eye contact."
