A juvenile arrives at a school, not exactly big news. But that juvenile happened to be a red-bellied black snake.
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Not that the Gillieston Public School kids were too worried, nicknaming the snake “Rex” before it was collected by Cessnock District Rescue Squad volunteers on Wednesday.
Rescue squad spokesperson James Harris said the school first spotted the reptile earlier this week, and were told to keep a close eye out for it in case it popped up again.
The school did so and called the rescue squad again on Wednesday for someone to collect the slithery reptile.
“They followed instructions brilliantly,” Mr Harris said.
The squad went out to the school and managed to pick up the 50cm long snake without too much fuss, before it was relocated into nearby bushland.
Coincidentally, Mr Harris said the school his children go to, Congewai Public, also had a close encounter with a snake on Wednesday – a five-foot Eastern Brown nonetheless.
“Because it’s mating season, they’re popping up left, right and centre,” he said.
“You can’t pick where they’re going to go.”