Biosecurity hazard discovered on Aussie driveway shocks couple: 'Extreme risk'
When Jo spotted the "bright white" creature on her driveway she didn't know how dangerous it was.
Snake catcher Austin Pols was called out to remove what's believed to have been an illegally-kept albino pet. Source: Sydney Snakes and Wildlife Removal
A British couple was left shocked after recently discovering a biosecurity hazard in the driveway of their Australian home. It was almost dark as Jo was putting out the bins and spotted a 'bright white snake' seemingly glowing on her driveway.
'I was quite shocked to see any snake because I'm not Australian. They're not something that I've grown up expecting to see,' she told Yahoo News.
'I ran back into the house and I called for my husband and my children to come out immediately. Then we stood there thinking, now what do we do?'
Jo's five-year-old son was enamoured with the snake, and excitedly called out to anyone walking by their Sydney home in the southern suburb of Penshurst. Her three-year-old daughter was a little unsure of it. And when the reptile began slithering towards her house, Jo called a snake catcher for help.
What breed is the white snake?
As Austin Pols from Sydney Snakes and Wildlife Removal listened to Jo's description of the snake a week ago, he knew immediately by the colour that it was an escaped pet. He assumed it was likely a harmless python, not an illegally kept exotic species that it turned out to be.
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'When they sent me a photo I didn't know what it was… it was an incredible looking snake, it had gold stripes,' he recalled.
It's understandable that Austin wasn't able to immediately identify what species he was dealing with. It was only by talking to a US-based expert that he was able to determine it was a custom bred albino California kingsnake.
While the snake looks beautiful, it poses an 'extreme risk' to Australia's biosecurity. Source: Sydney Snakes and Wildlife Removal
Authorities reveal why snake finding was so dangerous
The NSW Department of Primary Industries confirmed with Yahoo that California kingsnakes, which are endemic to southwestern USA and northwestern Mexico, cannot be legally kept in Australia. And although the snake is considered non-venomous, it poses 'an extreme risk' to the nation's biosecurity.
'Exotic invasive animals can introduce hazards to Australia, including adding extra pressure on already vulnerable native species through destruction of their habitat, competition for limited resources and the introduction of exotic animal disease,' a Department spokesperson said.
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'Occasionally, accidental incursions through imported freight or international flights must be carefully managed once detected.'
California kingsnakes can carry disease and outcompete native species. Source: Getty
What happened to the snake?
Legally, Austin was compelled to surrender the California kingsnake to the Department, and it was assessed by a vet and humanely euthanised. An investigation is now underway to determine how much harm the snake caused before it was captured.
'Biosecurity screening at the NSW Animal and Plant Health Laboratories will determine if the snake was carrying any pathogens or diseases, its reproductive status and if it had recently bred,' it confirmed.
Along with threatening Australian ecosystems, the keeping of illegal snakes is problematic to the welfare of the individual animals being kept.
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'People smuggle these snakes into Australia, keep them, breed them, but they're really not worth much to sellers because they're illegal,' Austin told Yahoo.
'You can't get them treatment at a vet, because they'd identify what species it is. They're really not worth keeping.'
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