Australian woman finds deadly snake wrapped around her Christmas tree

An Australian woman from Melbourne on Sunday (18 December) discovered a deadly tiger snake wrapped around her Christmas tree.

The woman identified as Cheryl immediately called for professional snake catcher Barry Goldsmith to her home in Frankston, a suburb in Melbourne, ABC Australia reported.

"The snake is among the most dangerous of Australia," Goldsmith said. The reptile reportedly entered through an open door before curling up among the decorations.

"It's one of the more different ones, but we find them in all sorts of places. Tiger snakes are very good climbers," he added. According to reports, tiger snakes are highly poisonous and are very common in southern Australia in summer.

Goldsmith who runs Snake Catcher Victoria said that he never found a snake in a Christmas tree even though he's been working in the area for around 40 years. "Although I have found them around the base of a Christmas tree in amongst the presents in the past, I've never found one up inside a Christmas tree. This is a one-off thing. It's like lightning striking. It's not going to happen again for sure. Not this year anyway."

He said the woman did the right thing by taking a picture of the snake and shutting off the room until a professional came on the scene. "The only time the snake becomes a dangerous animal is when somebody tries to hurt it," he said.

"If you try to attack a snake or kill a snake then the chances of getting bitten increase hugely."