Reptile catcher removes venomous snake from vacuum cleaner

May 5 (UPI) -- An Australian snake catcher was called out to a vacation resort to relocate a venomous snake that was sucked up into a vacuum cleaner by a panicked holidaymaker.

Drew Godfrey of Hervey Bay Snake Catchers said he received a call from a couple who spotted a snake in their unit a Hervey Bay, Queensland, resort, and the husband called back a few minutes later.

"He called back quickly saying not to worry because his wife had vacuumed it up," Godfrey told Newsweek. "I explained that they are protected species and it would be cruel and illegal to leave it in there. They understood and were happy for us to come out."

Godfrey posted a video to Facebook showing him removing the snake, a mildly venomous yellow-faced whip snake, from the vacuum cleaner's reservoir.

"Just when you think you've seen it all in this job, someone calls you and says their wife has sucked a snake up with the vacuum cleaner," Godfrey wrote in his Facebook post.

Godfrey said yellow-faced whip snakes are often confused for far more dangerous eastern brown snakes. He said whip snakes are only mildly venomous, comparing their bites to bee stings.

"The snake was unharmed, just a little dusty and confused," Godfrey said. "It was just happy to be free."

He released the snake into a nearby wilderness area.

"Bet that sucked for you," he quipped to the reptile.