An 80-year-old woman is catching snakes for people in Victoria after living with the reptiles for 12 years.
Lorna King was a wildlife rescuer for 30 years and became a self-taught snake catcher by accident when someone rang her for help and she thought she could help.
She became familiar with snakes when she moved to a home in Townsville in Queensland.
“We had snakes in the house always, little pythons and things get up in the beams,” King told Melbourne radio station 3AW.
“Our house was high set and I’d be out putting washing on the line under the house and there’d always be eyes looking at me.
“I got used to them because I knew they weren’t dangerous.
“The fact that I’m not afraid to touch them is what enables me to catch them.”
This experience came in handy when she rescued a black snake from an elderly man’s home behind a cabinet along the wall recently.
“I guarantee you, it was about eight-foot long, he was huge,” the registered catcher said.
King has caught snakes from Omeo to Sale in Victoria but this remains her most memorable job.
“Poor old man left the door open for his dogs to come in,” King said.
“As he was walking down the passageway saw this massive snake coming into house.
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“The poor old darling, he couldn’t go back into his house for three days after the snake.”
Despite her close encounters with the snake, she has never been attacked by one.
“A lot of people ask me that and they look at me as if I’m lying,” she told the radio hosts.
“I would be too frightened to do it again if I’d been bitten.”
Unlike many other snake catchers, King doesn’t document her call-outs on social media.
“When I can get someone to get a bit of footage for me or take a photo, it’s wonderful,” she said.
“I very rarely get to do it myself.”
