One of the deadliest snakes in the world caused panic in front of a train station after it was spotted by pedestrians.
Venomous snake (File photo)
A tiger snake, one of the deadliest in the world, that may have hitch-hiked its way into the city brought a busy street to a halt during lunchtime in Melbourne.
The snake was spotted by pedestrians in a gutter near the corner of Spencer and Collins streets in front of the busy train station Southern Cross.
Police cordoned off a part of the area for a snake catcher to arrive.
The snake was trapped by Barry Goldsmith, a professional snake catcher, who told reporters it was unusual to see tiger snakes in central Melbourne.
Goldsmith said the injured reptile is believed to have crawled to the gutter after falling to the tarmac after it “hitch-hiked” into town.
He said the snake might have been attracted due to a large number of mice and rats in the city.
The road reopened after an hour.
“He’s injured – we’re going to see if we can take him to the vets and get him fixed up,” Goldsmith said.
Tiger snakes are one of the most venomous snakes in the world and usually found in wet environments.
Australia has some of the deadliest snakes in the world.
There has already been two reported deaths due to snake bites this year, including a heavily pregnant woman in a remote town in Western Australia earlier this month.
-dpa/NAN