A venomous snake has been safely captured after slithering around a shopping centre for days.
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The red-bellied black snake was first spotted by shoppers on Wednesday, hiding behind a vending machine at the Westfield Marion in Adelaide.
It's believed the venomous reptile had hitched a ride in a motorist's car and spent two days 'mall crawling' before being caught by a snake catcher.
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The snake catcher, Jarrad Waye, had never caught a snake in a shopping centre before, but was able to safely capture the snake after a slippery scuffle in a backroom.
Waye found the snake had slithered into the roof cavity between the first and second floors, leaving very little room to work with. Despite the challenge, he was eventually able to catch the snake without incident.
However, without any knowledge of where the snake came from, it cannot be released back into the wild. Instead, the snake has been handed over to Cleland Wildlife Park for proper care and treatment.
"It's highly dangerous," Waye told ABC Radio.
"I don't recommend anybody who doesn't know what they're doing to attempt it, but it definitely puts myself at 100 per cent risk of getting bitten."
The snake's journey serves as a reminder to always double-check cars and take precautions when dangerous wildlife is spotted, even in urban areas.
