A Kurunjang woman is heartbroken after her dog was attacked and killed by a tiger snake in her backyard.
The death comes as a snake catcher warns there have been more snake sightings than usual for this time of year.
Charmaine Bonnici said she arrived home on September 22 to find her five-year-old English Staffordshire cross, Ellenora, and the snake dead in her backyard.
“It was absolutely horrible. I went to bring my washing in then I saw the snake,” she said.
“I have never seen a snake out here before; I’ve been in Melton for three years..”
Ms Bonnici said it was lucky her young daughter had not come into contact with the snake.
“She’s out in the yard playing a lot and wouldn’t know what it was or realise it was dangerous.
“The reptile catcher said my dog had seen the snake in the backyard and was trying to protect her territory.”
Melton-based snake catcher Jason Blainey, who removed the snake from Ms Bonnici’s property, said he had received an above-average number of calls to remove snakes from across the west for this time of the year.
He said areas such as Caroline Springs, Melton and Truganina had the most callouts.
“It is early, but because we’re getting the warm weather earlier the snakes are coming out of hibernation earlier.’’
Mr Blainey said he had already removed a large number of brown and tiger snakes, and copperheads.
He said residents should keep their yards tidy to discourage snakes. “You can’t really stop them from coming into your yard, but you can make it less comfortable by mowing lawns and getting rid of any mulch piles.”
A Department of Environment and Primary Industries spokesman warned people against trying to catch or kill snakes. Apart from the danger, snakes are protected under the Wildlife Act.
