Jerromy Brookes was bitten while trying to remove the brown snake "to keep the children safe," local media and emergency services said.

An Australian man has died after being bitten by a highly venomous snake while trying to remove the serpent from a childcare center in an effort “to keep the children safe,” local media and emergency services said Wednesday.

Paramedics in the northeastern state of Queensland were called out Tuesday afternoon and found the man in critical condition.

The man was believed to have been bitten by a brown snake, one of the most lethal species in the world. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation identified the victim as 47-year-old Jerromy Brookes.