Receptionist Shocked by Venomous Snake While Refilling Printer Paper

A receptionist was shocked to find a poisonous snake curled up in the paper tray of an office printer in Sydney, Australia. Professional snake rescuers from Sydney-based Australian Snake Catchers were called in to deal with the terrifying trespasser and posted a video of their operation online. "He's pretty big," one of the snake catchers can be heard saying. "Bigger than you think." They managed to get the snake out—here's what the footage shows.

The snake catchers removed the entire printer and carried it outside of the office to try and coax it out. Using a hook, the snake catcher manages to coerce the snake out of the back of the printer, pulling it out by the tail. The catchers casually chat the entire time about how big and how "pretty" the snake is.

"This Snake decided to make this Printer into a 3D version," Australian Snake Catchers captioned the video. According to them, the receptionist working for a Windsor Dealership was about to refill the paper and while she was pulling out the drawer, she spotted eastern brown snake. "We were dispatched to remove it so Business could continue. All is well that ends well. This could have been quite a Different and Dangerous outcome," catchers wrote.

Eastern brown snakes are protected under the Nature Conservation Act 1992, and it's illegal to kill them or remove them from the wild. "This species is common throughout the eastern half of Australia and is particularly abundant in farmland and suburban areas where they can find their favorite prey: rats and mice. Because these snakes can thrive in suburban areas this also means that humans can come across them quite often," says Alessandro Palci, a reptile researcher at Flinders University in Australia.

Palci says the snakes can be defensive, with 0.12-inch fangs that are relatively shorter than other poisonous snakes. This means a layer of clothing may stop a serious bite. "However, if a bite does occur, medical attention needs to be sought immediately, because they have a very potent neurotoxic venom, which can quickly lead to paralysis and death," Palci says.

"Because of their small fangs, bites typically look like very small scratches and can thus be easily overlooked," Palci says. "If someone suspects that they have been bitten by an eastern brown snake, they should immediately seek medical attention even if they are unsure. Antivenom for these snakes is available and can be administered in the hospital if necessary."