Doing household chores apparently comes with a bigger risk than ever before. An Australian snake catcher was called to a vacation resort to move a venomous snake that was sucked into a vacuum cleaner.
Apparently, a panicked couple had spotted the snake in their unit at a Hervey Bay, Queensland, resort. Drew Godfrey of Hervey Bay Snake Catchers was called by the husband originally but he also received a call back a few minutes later.
“He called back quickly saying not to worry because his wife had vacuumed it up,” Godfrey said. “I explained that they are protected species and it would be cruel and illegal to leave it in there. They understood and were happy for us to come out.”
Godfrey managed to post a video on Facebook showing the entire removal process. The snake was identified as a mildly venomous yellow-faced whip snake that was chilling in the vacuum cleaner’s reservoir.
“Just when you think you’ve seen it all in this job, someone calls you and says their wife has sucked a snake up with the vacuum cleaner,” Godfrey wrote online.
Yellow-faced whip snakes can be confused with far more dangerous eastern brown snakes. Fortunately, Godfrey said whip snakes are only mildly venomous, comparing their bites to bee stings. The snake was released into a nearby wilderness area.