WINDSOR fashion store owner Donna Prudames involuntarily emitted a loud swear word on Tuesday morning, January 19 after glancing towards the door of her shop.
“I was standing there as a customer was getting changed and looked towards the door and went “Oh f---!” she laughed.
“There was a snake in the doorway and he came in and was mingling around in the entrance area, then went out again.”
Ms Prudames, who owns Baker & George on George Street, outlined the red-belly black snake’s hour-long reign of terror in the heavily patronised Macquarie Arms precinct of Windsor.
“The snake then went around the corner and was checking out the bins behind the shop. Then a bit later the Council parking officer said ‘close your door!’.”
She did, and soon after the snake was poking his head under the crack in the door but couldn’t get any further. He then went along outside Windsor Ice Cream Cafe next door.
“He then crossed the road and the parking officer saw him go into the grill of the car parked there [outside the Chinese restaurant].
“The parking officer was running around trying to find the owner of the car. He found him at Thompson Square. The parking officer then saw the snake come out of the car grill, and go into the drain hole [in the side of the gutter].”
Staff from Windsor Ice Cream Cafe put a sign saying SNAKE and an arrow on the footpath to alert passersby.
Mirta McInerney who works for Windsor Ice Cream Cafe said she had seen one in the area a year ago, outside the Chinese restaurant.
“He was on the footpath but no-one seemed too worried,” she said. “Thank goodness he then slithered away.”
Ms Prudames was frustrated and concerned that they weren’t able to track down anyone who could come and catch the snake.
She said she rang WIRES but they didn’t have anyone who could come. She rang the police who said there was nothing they could do but gave her a number which turned out to be disconnected.
She rang Council and the receptionist said they didn’t have any snakecatchers. She rang the fire brigade who said they weren’t trained to deal with snakes. The only thing left was to try and find where they were coming from.
“I’m a member of Windsor Business Group and we have a meeting next week so I’ll ask if we can write to Council and ask if they can find out if there are any businesses nearby with overgrown gardens which might harbour snakes and get them to clear them out.”
The Gazette asked Hawkesbury Herpetological Society if they knew any snake catchers. They said they would recommend Australian Snake Catchers at St Clair who are licensed.
Sean Cade of Australian Snake Catchers said they will come and get a snake for $150 but they will do it as a community gesture if asked by police.
He said red belly babies would be leaving the nest right about now, and would be about 30cm long and the width of a pencil, but the one in Windsor was larger and would have been older.
