South Australia police say the thief made off with his slithering loot of non-poisonous green tree pythons after tying up the family in Hewitt, about 45 kilometres north of Adelaide.
They say the man pointed a pistol at the woman when she opened the door of her home and ordered her to hand over the 12 snakes before stuffing them into a duffel bag and making good his escape yesterday afternoon.
The intruder bound the woman's ankles and the hands of her two boys with cable ties before leaving. No one was injured in the incident but police are searching for the culprit.
The one-year-old pythons -- all measuring between 75 and 80 centimetres – are each worth around $9000.
The intruder bound the woman's ankles and the hands of her two boys with cable ties before leaving. No one was injured in the incident but police are searching for the culprit.
It remains unclear why the family was keeping the snakes in their home or how the thief knew about the haul of scaly treasures.