An amateur's attempt to catch what looked like a deadly snake has gone horribly wrong - and led to a plea from professionals.
Instead of calling a registered snake catcher, a Queenslander called a neighbour for assistance after finding a brown-coloured snake hiding in their laundry.
The neighbour mangled the snake in the process, tearing off large sections of its skin in the botched attempt.
They did not manage to catch the injured animal, which was later identified as a harmless Keelback, also known as a Freshwater snake.
The species is most famous for its ability to eat cane toads without getting poisoned.
An amateur's attempt to catch what looked like a deadly brown snake has gone horribly wrong and led to a plea from professionals (pictured, the injured snake)
The neighbour mangled the snake in the process, tearing off large sections of its skin. It was later identified as a harmless Keelback or Freshwater snake (pictured, the injured snake)
'Please don't try and catch snakes yourself,' wrote Stuart McKenzie of Sunshine Coast Snakecatchers, who rescued the reptile and posted the sad photos on his popular Facebook page.
'[We] took it straight to the wildlife hospital,' he added.
Ms McKenzie said the homeowner found 'a brown coloured snake inside the house that was hiding under the washing machine'.
The neighbour's attempts to remove it 'resulted in the snake being injured unfortunately'.
Keelback snakes (pictured) can be grey or olive-coloured, or brown - meaning they can resemble brown snakes to the untrained eye, but are non-venomous
The Eastern Brown snake (pictured), which is a lot longer than a Keelback snake, is deadly to humans
'It was an accident but it was certainly avoidable.'
McKenzie reminded locals 'please remember you require appropriate permits, insurance and experience to catch and relocate snakes'.
'If you have a snake in your yard or home please call your
