It’s always nice to have a bit of tinsel on your Christmas tree at this time of year, but when it’s hissing at you then you’ve got a bit of a problem on your hands.
Pictures have emerged from Melbourne, Australia (of course) showing a tangle of ‘nope ropes’ happily winding themselves around a sign post that had been decked out in green and gold to resemble a Christmas tree.
Personally speaking, these images have not exactly filled me with a tingly festive glow. However, I’m willing to bet more than a few Yule logs have been dropped by unsuspecting passersby…
The startling spectacle was spotted on a busy street by backpacker Maxime Zimmermann, who soon shared snaps of the creatures within the Facebook group Australia Backpackers 2019 alongside the following caption:
Just in Australia… Snakes hanging on a Christmas tree in Melbourne.
The sight of the writhing mass of scaly tinsel has left many seasoned backpackers recoiling in alarm, even those who are used to the creepy crawly nature of Aussie wildlife.
One commenter gasped:
How the f*ck they got our three most venomous snakes on the same pole, I’ll never know.
Another shrieked:
Why are those three all together? Let alone all together up a lamp post in a city? I am Australian and this is the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen.
Others found the image too bizarre to be believed, with some insisting they were looking at ‘fake snakes’. However, Maxime was quick to ‘reassure’ them they were looking at the real deal.
Those in the group with a good knowledge of snakes recognised the trio of creatures as being a red-bellied black snake, an eastern brown snake and a tiger snake. In other words, three very deadly boys.
Speaking with the Daily Mail Australia, the snakes were in fact pets and had deliberately been posed on the pole by their owner for a Christmassy picture. Much like when you put a festive jumper on your pug, sort of.
The snakes’ proud owner is a man by the name of Raymond Moser, who also answers to ‘Snake Man’. He reportedly told Maxime the snakes were no longer a threat to humans as their venom had been removed.
I must say though, poisonous or not, I personally wouldn’t be sticking around long enough to take a pic…
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.