Snakes in summer is nothing new.
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Neither is spotting a red-bellied black snake in Bega.
However, having one slithering around in the underground car park at Target certainly took a few by surprise on Friday.
Milton Wicks spotted the red-belly near a dusty four-wheel drive he thought may have brought the snake with it when its owners came to shop.
“I’m thinking maybe it crawled up under the car and then dropped out here because it’s overheated and wanted to get cool,” Mr Wicks said.
He made sure it wasn’t heading towards anyone else’s vehicle – including his own – then alerted Target staff to their visitor.
Staff member Kimberley Charley, who also happens to be a wildlife rescuer with WIRES Far South Coast, made sure the snake was safe, and safely out of the way of motorists and pedestrians.
(Editor’s note: Perhaps demonstrating the reach of Bega District News’ Facebook live video, while watching over the red-belly Ms Charley received a phone call from her head office bosses to let her know she had a snake at her store!)
However, she doesn’t have her snake handling licence so seemed happy enough to hand off the rescue to a colleague who arrived around half an hour later.
Without any hesitation, the WIRES volunteer safely collected the snake and said it was destined for release in the more appropriate rural landscape between Bega and Candelo.