Snake catcher threw a deadly red-bellied snake back into someone’s kitchen after they refused to pay

A snake catcher has revealed how he dumped a deadly red-bellied black snake into a client’s home after they refused to pay him.

Colin Shoemark, 38, who works in the Lake Macquarie area of ​​New South Wales, appeared on a podcast where he recounted catching a six-foot red-bellied snake.

He told Daily Mail Australia that he caught the reptile while it was hiding behind a fridge.

However, when it came time to pay, the customer refused to pay, telling Mr. Shoemark that it should be a free municipal service.

So the snake catcher let the snake out again, prompting the terrified homeowner to jump onto a table and threaten to call the police.

Eventually, he paid Mr. Shoemark, who says the incident forced him to check all fees with clients before starting a job.

“This is not a free service because deep down I have to take care of insurance premiums and all that kind of stuff,” he said.

‘So, I just tell them the fee and we agree on it and then I’m out. Usually, if I don’t get the snake, I spend a little time with people to tell them about it or try to identify the snake.’

Speaking of the incident with the man who refused to pay, he said that it happened in 2017.

“I got there and he was panicking, which is pretty standard. He was in his kitchen, behind his fridge, so I had to get the fridge out.

‘When you catch a red-bellied black people go away, you know, it’s not that dangerous because by nature they want to stay away from you.

‘True, but when they’re stuck in someone’s house, it’s a whole different animal.

‘Anyway, this thing is trying to kill me all the time. I put it in the bag and the guy started saying, ‘Oh, this should be free and subsidized by the government. The council should pay for this.’ He went on and on and on…

The snake catcher returned the red-bellied snake to the man’s home after he refused to pay his fee.

Mr. Shoemaker says the incident forced him to verify all rates with clients before starting a job.

The snake catcher said, ‘It’s not like it’s $500. It’s $150 and I’m the one risking my life and my sense of smell in the future.

I did not like. It was the end of the day, I was pretty tired. I said, ‘if you’re not going to pay me, I’m going to go and get out of here.

So I let him out and he started going through my leg and he climbed on the kitchen table.

He said he was going to call the police and I told him to go ahead because they were going to call me and they would probably come in and see me catch the snake.

‘He had the money, he was just kidding about it.’

Eventually, the man paid Mr. Shoemark and the hunter removed the snake.

Since the incident, he said he has made sure the customer knows how much the service would cost.

‘It’s not like it’s $500. It’s $150 and I’m the one risking my life and my sense of smell in the future,” she added.

He said he had been catching snakes since he was a child and had turned professional in 2016.