Boo, hiss. A homeowner was terrified to discover nearly 100 venomous snakes in a writhing black knot in his backyard — in a case experts have described as a “rare occurrence.” The trouble began last week when David Stein initially spotted a handful of the slithering creatures clustered together in his garden — leading the Australia man to immediately call in a specialized removal crew.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A man described feeling “the shudders” as more than 100 venomous red-bellied black snakes were removed from a pile of mulch in his Sydney backyard. Snake catcher Dylan Cooper arrived that afternoon. Stein helped rake away mulch as Cooper bagged 102 pregnant and newborn snakes.