Over 100 venomous red-bellied black snakes, including pregnant mothers and their offspring, were dramatically removed from a Sydney backyard mulch pile, sparking both concern and curiosity.

In an incident that could make anyone’s skin crawl, more than 100 venomous red-bellied black snakes were found nesting in a pile of mulch at a suburban Sydney property, leaving one homeowner in utter disbelief.

David Stein, who owns a 1.4-hectare yard in Horsley Park on Sydney’s western outskirts, described the experience as spine-chilling when he first noticed a handful of snakes slithering into the mulch last week.

A quick internet search revealed that these snakes, when gravid, often gather in groups before giving birth, setting the stage for a discovery that would soon defy all expectations.

Alarmed by the sudden appearance of these dangerous reptiles, Stein contacted Reptile Relocation Sydney for help.

The company quickly sent out snake catcher Dylan Cooper, and with Stein’s assistance in raking away the mulch, the true scale of the situation became horrifyingly apparent.

Cooper’s team soon bagged a total of 102 snakes, a collection that included both adult red-bellied blacks and their offspring. As the operation unfolded, two of the adult snakes even gave birth on the spot, producing an additional 29 snakelets that were caught mid-process.

In total, the final count reached five adult snakes and 97 offspring—a number that far exceeded anything anyone in the business had ever seen.

Cory Kerewaro, the owner of Reptile Relocation Sydney, explained that in his years of handling snake removal cases, the largest haul he had encountered before involved only 30 non-venomous carpet pythons.

Unlike pythons that hatch from eggs, red-bellied black snakes give birth to live young, which made the mass birthing event in Stein’s yard even more extraordinary.

Local wildlife expert Scott Eipper, who has penned several books on Australia’s dangerous reptiles, speculated that gravid red-bellied blacks might congregate as a safety strategy or because of a lack of suitable birthing habitats.

He also suggested that the unseasonably hot weather in Sydney could have triggered this simultaneous birthing event, explaining why so many snakelets appeared almost at once.

The discovery of over 100 snakes in one location has both fascinated and alarmed the local community. Red-bellied black snakes are among the most venomous in Australia, and their presence in such numbers raises pressing questions about what environmental factors could have contributed to this phenomenon.

Typically, these snakes produce litters ranging from four to 35 young, but the sheer number seen in Stein’s mulch far exceeded normal reproductive expectations.

While some experts believe that this congregation could be an isolated incident influenced by extraordinary local conditions, others worry it might signal a larger, unexplained shift in snake behavior or habitat use.

For now, the mystery remains unsolved, leaving residents to ponder whether similar events might occur in the future.

Amid the shock and concern over the mass snake removal, another worry loomed large: the fate of the captured reptiles. As a protected species in Australia, red-bellied black snakes cannot simply be destroyed.

Instead, after the dramatic removal, local government authorities granted Kerewaro permission to release the snakes into a remote national park, far removed from human habitation.

“Because there was such a large number, obviously people were a bit concerned where 100 snakes were going to go,” Kerewaro explained. “They’ll be far enough away to avoid any human interaction: 100 snakes are going into the middle of the bush in the middle of nowhere.”

This relocation is intended to safeguard both the snakes and the local community, though it serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictable challenges posed by Australia’s venomous wildlife.

The incident has also left a personal mark on the Stein household. In December, prior to the snake removal, Stein’s two-year-old Jack Russell terrier, Belle, suffered a bite from a juvenile red-bellied black snake.

The bite was severe enough to require multiple doses of antivenom and a four-day hospital stay for Belle, who thankfully made a full recovery.

That earlier episode underscored the constant dangers that lurk even in suburban settings, reminding residents that Australia’s wild side is never far away.

Even as the mulch was eventually cleared and the yard returned to a semblance of normality, Stein could not shake the feeling that this dramatic encounter might not be a one-off occurrence.

“Within the next couple of days, this big pile of mulch will be gone,” he remarked, hinting that the conditions which had allowed such an extraordinary gathering of snakes might well recur in the future.

The incident has sparked widespread conversation online and among neighbors, as many grapple with the realization that even in a quiet suburban setting, nature’s most venomous creatures can suddenly emerge in overwhelming numbers.

This shocking event in a suburban Sydney yard has not only provided a rare, if unsettling, glimpse into the reproductive behavior of red-bellied black snakes but also highlighted the delicate balance between wildlife conservation and public safety.

As experts continue to investigate what might have driven this mass birthing event, local residents remain both fascinated and fearful of what might lie hidden in the mulch of their own backyards.

The incident serves as a potent reminder that in Australia, the line between suburban life and the wild can sometimes blur in the most unexpected—and venomous—ways.