CANBERRA, Dec. 19 -- Lights, baubles and other decorations are often dressed around Australian Christmas trees during the festive season, but one local woman was shocked to find a tiger snake playing the part of the tinsel.
After spotting the stowaway snake wrapped around the tree in her home on Sunday evening, the woman called a professional snake handler Barry Goldsmith who happily relocated the 'moving decoration'.
Goldsmith, whose photo of the slippery critter went viral on social media overnight, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) he'd never seen anything quite like it.
"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," Goldsmith said on Monday.
"This is a one-off thing, like lightning striking. It's not going to happen again for sure, not this year."
The snake catcher said the woman was "very happy to see the snake go" but acted appropriately in the situation, calling a professional to come and remove the unwanted Christmas decoration.
"She was very relaxed," Goldsmith said, adding "usually I get people screaming and hysterical and shaking and having seizures just at the thought of having a snake in the house. But she was pretty cool."
Goldsmith reminded Australians that while snakes in the house may be a scary thought, they are "never going to hurt anybody" unless they're provoked, and calling a licensed handler is always the best option.
"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."
According to Goldsmith, the snake was safely removed and set free in nearby bushland.
