Thirsty are we? Adelaide family's shock after finding huge red-bellied black snake coiled around the ice dispenser in their fridge
An Australian family got a nasty surprise after finding a highly venomous red-bellied black snake around the ice dispenser in their refrigerator.
Adelaide Hills resident Gail Auricht found the uninvited intruder on Thursday evening in the family's second refrigerator, which they use as part of an outdoor living area at their Callington property.
She had turned off a nearby radio and heard a hissing sound, which she at first assumed was something mechanical in her refrigerator, but when she turned around she was confronted by the reptile looking back at her.
Ms Auricht described the sighting as “surreal” and said she was lucky she didn't reach out to grab the fridge door handle before spotting the creature.
Her husband then called their neighbor, who contacted a local snake catcher before sending her husband and daughters to help guard the reptile with rubber boots and shovels.
Adelaide Hills resident Gail Auricht found the venomous snake tangled around the ice dispenser in her second refrigerator (pictured)
The venom of the red-bellied black snake is highly poisonous and could theoretically be strong enough to kill a human, but no deaths have been recorded, despite an average of around 35 people being bitten each year thanks to hospital treatment.
Finally, snake catcher Simon Hempel from Adelaide Hills arrived and managed to untangle the snake from the internal workings of the ice dispenser.
“I've been doing it for 25 years, I've caught them under the fridge but never in the vending machine,” Mr Hempel told the ABC.
'That's very unusual. That's probably the one and only, I'd say. I don't think I'll ever get another one.'
The operation to catch the snake took about a few minutes, with Mr Hempel saying the family responded with “pure relief”.
The snake was caught by snake catcher Simon Hempel and safely relocated
Mr Hempel added that warm weather across South Australia had made his work busier in recent weeks.
'I've caught them under children's pillows, in roof spaces and in shoes, in all kinds of places. I've even caught them in my son's Xbox at my house.”
He explained that because snakes cannot regulate their temperature internally, they do not like particularly hot weather and try to take refuge in cool places, including, for example, people's homes.
He advised people to keep water items, such as dog bowls, elevated and if they do encounter a snake, call a professional to move it.