Man dies after picking up snake in WA town

A man has died after being bitten several times by a snake in Western Australia's Goldfields region.

A police spokesman said the 41-year-old Aboriginal man was bitten two to three times on the hand and lower arm as he picked up the snake, which was in a park on Laverton's main street on Wednesday last week.

He was trying to help another man dispose of the snake, which posed a threat to people in the nearby shops, shire offices and school.

"We believe he was trying to do the right thing," the officer told AAP.

"(But) he handled it when he shouldn't have."

The man didn't seek any medical attention, instead going to a camp on the outskirts of town, where he collapsed.

An ambulance was called and paramedics applied first aid, then rushed him to hospital, but he died shortly after arrival.

The spokesman said it was suspected the snake was a highly venomous western brown.

The snake was captured and brought to Perth for testing by the Department of Parks and Wildlife, which will confirm its species and provide a report to police for their use in a report for the coroner.

Two children, aged three and six, were bitten by snakes in the Wheatbelt town of Moora this week but were discharged from hospital.