Snake Catcher Willoughby

Willoughby sightings may occur in a family garden or a busy shared site. Keep people and pets indoors and leave the last known hiding place undisturbed.

When calling from Willoughby, explain whether the animal is indoors or outside, whether it remains visible, and whether children, pets, customers, livestock or workers are nearby. Harley can then assess the immediate risk and the safest access.

Willoughby properties may include established gardens, schools, garages, creek-linked reserves, shops and strata common areas. These features change access and visibility, so the last known position is more useful than an uncertain species description.

Shared gardens, apartment access and busy streets make a single meeting point and one nominated contact particularly useful.

• established gardens: Keep people and pets away from established gardens until the sighting has been assessed.
• schools: Identify the safest gate, path or building entrance leading toward schools without approaching the animal.
• garages: Pause gardening, storage or maintenance work around garages after a sighting.
• creek-linked reserves: Where creek-linked reserves is shared, ask one person to control access and another to meet Harley.
• shops: Do not place hands, tools or cameras into gaps around shops; report only what you can see safely.
• strata common areas: If the snake travels toward strata common areas, note which side it entered and leave the area undisturbed.

A sighting does not establish that there is a nest or more than one snake. Avoid assumptions about species, numbers or where the animal has gone; preserve the last reliable observation instead.

• Do not surround the snake; let one calm observer remain well back.
• Move bystanders away from the Willoughby sighting without creating a crowd.
• Keep visual contact only while you can remain on stable, open ground.
• Never touch, trap, corner, poke or attempt to kill the snake.
• If someone may have been bitten, call Triple Zero (000) immediately and follow the operator’s instructions.

A professional Willoughby response requires calm scene control, appropriate equipment and lawful handling; Harley operates under NSW General Licence MWL000102655.

Equipment and positioning are selected for the actual Willoughby setting, with safe capture and humane relocation as the objective.

If the snake has left established gardens or cannot be located, capture cannot be guaranteed. Harley will explain what was checked and what should happen next. Read about Harley’s training and experience or review the Greater Sydney snake-removal process.