Need help with snakes this season? Don't ask TAMS.

Robertson said :

poetix said :

Robertson said :

….

Oh, unless you’re a helpless limp vegan who for some reason just can’t handle the idea of ensafening your enviroment.

Anyone who uses the word ‘ensafening’, which presumably means locking something in a safe, deserves the spade.

I am not surprised to see a product of the Australian education system evincing confusion between a verb and a noun.

c_c™ said :

I get the impression Robertson’s one of those guys who’s so insecure in their sexuality…blah blah blah….

I can’t see any prior reference to sexuality in this thread. Lacking the ability to produce an argument, you appear to have steered a course directly for [i]ad hominem[/i] city.

And it’s *always* projection…..

When did ensafening become a word? I like it.

poetix said :

Robertson said :

….

Oh, unless you’re a helpless limp vegan who for some reason just can’t handle the idea of ensafening your enviroment.

Anyone who uses the word ‘ensafening’, which presumably means locking something in a safe, deserves the spade.

I am not surprised to see a product of the Australian education system evincing confusion between a verb and a noun.

c_c™ said :

I get the impression Robertson’s one of those guys who’s so insecure in their sexuality…blah blah blah….

I can’t see any prior reference to sexuality in this thread. Lacking the ability to produce an argument, you appear to have steered a course directly for [i]ad hominem[/i] city.

And it’s *always* projection…..

wildturkeycanoe said :

Watson said :

Snakes rarely or never hang around in people’s backyards for any significant length of time.

You should teach kids how to behave around snakes, from a very early age. They’re everywhere here in summer, so you shouldn’t just count on the guv’mint keeping them away from you.

If you cannot deal with local wildlife using your backyard as a corridor, I suggest you go live in an apartment instead.

So, to paraphrase –
Cars rarely or never hang around on school roads for any significant length of time.

You should teach kids how to behave around cars, from a very early age. They’re everywhere here during the hours of 8:00AM till 4:00PM, so you shouldn’t just count on the guv’mint keeping them away from you.

If you cannot deal with local cars using our roads as a corridor, I suggest you go live in an hole in the ground instead.

???What is your point???

scorpio63 said :

Many people go into cardiac arrest with brown snake bites regardless of whether or not tourniquets are applied effectively; quite a few young people have died from cardiac arrest when the venom travels CC.

Rub butter on burns while you’re about it.

You’re right about vibration and staying still, but seriously, tourniquets haven’t only just recently gone out of fashion. If you’ve got within cooee of first aid training in the last few decades you’d know that tourniquets are a no-no. You need to go look up the proper treatment of snakebite before you stuff up treatment of someone else with snakebite.

c_c™ said :

Good grief you ignorant fool.

You NEVER apply a tourniquet for a snake bite.

Seriously I can’t stress that enough. Not only does it not work, but most sources agree that it makes things worse.

You apply a compression bandage, starting at the bite site, moving up then down the length of the limb, remaining as immobile as possible.

For the avoidance of doubt (just in case you subscribe to another common myth) you also don’t wash the wound because a) it’s pointless, and b) it removes evidence doctors can use to determine whether it was a wet or dry bite, and if wet, what species.

Also mark where the bite is on the outside of the bandage so docs know where to snip and examine bite without removing the bandage and releasing pressure.

wildturkeycanoe said :

Watson said :

Snakes rarely or never hang around in people’s backyards for any significant length of time.

You should teach kids how to behave around snakes, from a very early age. They’re everywhere here in summer, so you shouldn’t just count on the guv’mint keeping them away from you.

If you cannot deal with local wildlife using your backyard as a corridor, I suggest you go live in an apartment instead.

So, to paraphrase –
Cars rarely or never hang around on school roads for any significant length of time.

You should teach kids how to behave around cars, from a very early age. They’re everywhere here during the hours of 8:00AM till 4:00PM, so you shouldn’t just count on the guv’mint keeping them away from you.

If you cannot deal with local cars using our roads as a corridor, I suggest you go live in an hole in the ground instead.

I think reading that just made me stupider. Durp.

Masquara said :

scorpio63 said :

…quite a few young people have died from cardiac arrest when the venom travels CC.

How does “quite a few” fit with the official statistic of two deaths in NSW and a handful Australia wide in 100 years?

Don’t know where you got your official stats, but they’re wrong. There have been about 6 deaths this year alone and 2-4 deaths (from memory) every year. About 60% of snake deaths are from the eastern brown.

Watson said :

Snakes rarely or never hang around in people’s backyards for any significant length of time.

You should teach kids how to behave around snakes, from a very early age. They’re everywhere here in summer, so you shouldn’t just count on the guv’mint keeping them away from you.

If you cannot deal with local wildlife using your backyard as a corridor, I suggest you go live in an apartment instead.

So, to paraphrase –
Cars rarely or never hang around on school roads for any significant length of time.

You should teach kids how to behave around cars, from a very early age. They’re everywhere here during the hours of 8:00AM till 4:00PM, so you shouldn’t just count on the guv’mint keeping them away from you.

If you cannot deal with local cars using our roads as a corridor, I suggest you go live in an hole in the ground instead.

scorpio63 said :

…quite a few young people have died from cardiac arrest when the venom travels CC.

How does “quite a few” fit with the official statistic of two deaths in NSW and a handful Australia wide in 100 years?

scorpio63 said :

Many people go into cardiac arrest with brown snake bites regardless of whether or not tourniquets are applied effectively; quite a few young people have died from cardiac arrest when the venom travels CC.

A child more at risk playing in a back yard.

Despite what you stated about Snakes not hanging around for long; that is if one does not come across a Brown in close proximity; then the snake (if the vibrations are close) stops and puts up its antennae ready to strike as happened to me on the farm with a 7ft old fella coming out of hibernation and slow moving.

Standing stock still assists as does the cessation of moving and talking until it no longer feels threatened and glides away.

Telling this to toddlers and young children before and at the time a snake is gliding by is a different kettle of fish, therefore the Rangers should be attending your home as an A.C.T. Resident and removing the snake to relocate OP.

Kindest regards

Tourniquets? I’m not sure what decade people came to their senses and stopped using them for snake bites, but you would never ever use a tourniquet on a snake bite.

Good grief you ignorant fool.

You NEVER apply a tourniquet for a snake bite.

Seriously I can’t stress that enough. Not only does it not work, but most sources agree that it makes things worse.

You apply a compression bandage, starting at the bite site, moving up then down the length of the limb, remaining as immobile as possible.

For the avoidance of doubt (just in case you subscribe to another common myth) you also don’t wash the wound because a) it’s pointless, and b) it removes evidence doctors can use to determine whether it was a wet or dry bite, and if wet, what species.

Many people go into cardiac arrest with brown snake bites regardless of whether or not tourniquets are applied effectively; quite a few young people have died from cardiac arrest when the venom travels CC.

A child more at risk playing in a back yard.

Despite what you stated about Snakes not hanging around for long; that is if one does not come across a Brown in close proximity; then the snake (if the vibrations are close) stops and puts up its antennae ready to strike as happened to me on the farm with a 7ft old fella coming out of hibernation and slow moving.

Standing stock still assists as does the cessation of moving and talking until it no longer feels threatened and glides away.

Telling this to toddlers and young children before and at the time a snake is gliding by is a different kettle of fish, therefore the Rangers should be attending your home as an A.C.T. Resident and removing the snake to relocate OP.

Kindest regards

c_c™ said :

Robertson said :

Oh, unless you’re a helpless limp vegan who for some reason just can’t handle the idea of ensafening your enviroment.

I get the impression Robertson’s one of those guys who’s so insecure in their sexuality that they’re constantly looking for ways to look the tough guy. I got news for you, that book Real Men Don’t eat Quiche, it was a parody, not a lifestyle guide.

I haven’t read the book but I’ll have some of that egg and bacon pie…

Robertson said :

Oh, unless you’re a helpless limp vegan who for some reason just can’t handle the idea of ensafening your enviroment.

I get the impression Robertson’s one of those guys who’s so insecure in their sexuality that they’re constantly looking for ways to look the tough guy. I got news for you, that book Real Men Don’t eat Quiche, it was a parody, not a lifestyle guide.

If you’re susceptible to the Dunning-Kruger effect, best to leave the snake alone. It’s not something you want to f=ck up. Browns can strike at speeds up to 3.4m/s, and if they’re agitated will bite several times in quick succession.

Speaking of snakes….

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/badgers

Robertson said :

Robertson said :

Let’s look at this logically.

Snakes are a part of the environment so we will come across them now and then.

Most of the time the snake will slither off because really, he’s quite shy.

However, sometimes they end up in backyards but again, this is usually not a problem as he’s probably just passing through.

Having said that, they can be quite territorial and sometimes decide to stay.

In this case, said snake becomes a danger, especially to pets and children.

Therefore, why the hell can’t the ACT government have a ranger who is also a snake wrangler?

It really is that simple.

Even simpler: personal responsibility instead of ringing up “the government” to hold your hand everytime something happens you don’t like.

So people should catch them themselves and relocate them?

Right. Got it.

Why would you do that when you can just grab a shovel and take its head off?

Oh, unless you’re a helpless limp vegan who for some reason just can’t handle the idea of ensafening your enviroment.

Or maybe he doesn’t want to break the law. Or risk getting bitten.

Robertson said :

….

Oh, unless you’re a helpless limp vegan who for some reason just can’t handle the idea of ensafening your enviroment.

Anyone who uses the word ‘ensafening’, which presumably means locking something in a safe, deserves the spade.

I agree with more rational posters that that there should be someone to ring to have snakes removed.

Robertson said :

Let’s look at this logically.

Snakes are a part of the environment so we will come across them now and then.

Most of the time the snake will slither off because really, he’s quite shy.

However, sometimes they end up in backyards but again, this is usually not a problem as he’s probably just passing through.

Having said that, they can be quite territorial and sometimes decide to stay.

In this case, said snake becomes a danger, especially to pets and children.

Therefore, why the hell can’t the ACT government have a ranger who is also a snake wrangler?

It really is that simple.

Even simpler: personal responsibility instead of ringing up “the government” to hold your hand everytime something happens you don’t like.

So people should catch them themselves and relocate them?

Right. Got it.

Why would you do that when you can just grab a shovel and take its head off?

Oh, unless you’re a helpless limp vegan who for some reason just can’t handle the idea of ensafening your enviroment.

breda said :

Try telling a parent whose child has been bitten by a venomous spider or snake that we should just take this as part of living with nature, and do nothing about it.

Err, what exactly is the problem with that? Drowning of toddlers is a much more serious risk, yet no one is calling out to fill up all rivers and ponds (or ban swimming pools) either.

There is lots you can do without having a dedicated team of taxpayer-funded government staff on call 24/7. You can teach kids what to do when they meet a snake as soon as they start to walk for example. That makes a lot more sense than giving them a false sense of security by pretending that you can keep all nasties away from them.

Let’s look at this logically.

Snakes are a part of the environment so we will come across them now and then.

Most of the time the snake will slither off because really, he’s quite shy.

However, sometimes they end up in backyards but again, this is usually not a problem as he’s probably just passing through.

Having said that, they can be quite territorial and sometimes decide to stay.

In this case, said snake becomes a danger, especially to pets and children.

Therefore, why the hell can’t the ACT government have a ranger who is also a snake wrangler?

It really is that simple.

Even simpler: personal responsibility instead of ringing up “the government” to hold your hand everytime something happens you don’t like.

Tried calling these guys?
http://www.canberraexotics.com.au/

gazket said :

I asked TAMS about removing possums that hang from the electricity wires and stir the dog up nearly every midnight. The nice lady at TAMS suggested I climb the pole and place conduit over the wires to stop the possums.

I didn’t take her advice and will never ring them again.

She had your measure.

Masquara, you have got the wrong end of the stick here.

The fact that, if you or your child is bitten by, say, a brown snake (the leading cause of snakebite deaths) you can be rushed to hospital and get successfully treated is not the point. And your statistics reflect deaths, not bites (which are in the hundreds every year).

If we find a funnelweb or even a redback spider in the yard, nobody says we can’t kill it. Your statistics about deaths would be comparable. That’s not the point.

Try telling a parent whose child has been bitten by a venomous spider or snake that we should just take this as part of living with nature, and do nothing about it.

Spiders – meh. They reproduce in large numbers. Kill ’em, I say. But snakes, in reasonable circumstances, could be caught and relocated. And trivialising what happens to a child (especially) who has been bitten by a venomous snake does you no credit. Just a quick trip to Intensive Care and all is well, right?

As for pets, while I do not subscribe to the “pets are people, too” school of thought, in the case I cited above, the family was my sister, her toddler, the dog and the cat (the latter two being great mates). A big brown wiped out the dog and the cat in a few minutes.Thank heavens my niece – who loved both of them – wasn’t there.

gazket said :

I asked TAMS about removing possums that hang from the electricity wires and stir the dog up nearly every midnight. The nice lady at TAMS suggested I climb the pole and place conduit over the wires to stop the possums.

I didn’t take her advice and will never ring them again.

You must be joking?! It sounds like it would’ve been wiser to ask them to take your dog away. No climbing on poles required. Oh wait, you could just keep the dog inside. No pole climbing for that option either.

appropos earlier comments about human deaths, here you go from today’s smh – http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/woman-dies-after-snake-bite-20131105-2wy83.html

Masquara said :

Well if you think pet deaths are on the same plane as human deaths, you’re a bit out there.

ROTFLMAO!!!!!

And there you have textbook cognitive dissonance from the hand-wringer.
Brilliant.

laughtong said :

What was scary in that is a adult male rotti would weigh at least 40-50kg. What chance would a small child have had?

No chance at all.

FFS just allow licenced snake wranglers to operate in the territory. Try telling a kid they have to stay inside because they might get hurt by a snake (and yes, education of how to deal with them is important – but its a big risk to take particularly in spring when browns in particular do get aggressive). Im sure Ive seen a message or two about encouraging our kids to get out and about outside.

The green tinge of this govt seems have have a distinct smelly brown colour to me.

gooterz said :

Human fatalities are low but surely a snake bite has other effects? Life shortening/ loss of limb etc?
How many people get bitten and then have a heart attack?

I don’t see how you’d lose a limb and unless you die from the bite, I don’t think there are any long lasting effects.

I can remember in our first spring in Canberra (2002) I saw a warning that snakes were becoming active. A work colleague had lost a healthy young adult male Rottweiler to a snake bite. They lived in suburbia backing bushland.
What was scary in that is a adult male rotti would weigh at least 40-50kg. What chance would a small child have had?
I agree that qualified wranglers should be allowed to relocate dangerous snakes, keeping an eye on their movements until caught might be difficult.

Well if you think pet deaths are on the same plane as human deaths, you’re a bit out there.

Pot calling the kettle black…

Forgot to add, the snake killing dog was a Samoyed.

While it is slightly off topic, I had a dog that could catch brown snakes. She would put her paw on them, then grab them just behind the head & shake them to death. None of us trained her to do this, but they must of come near her kennel, she didn’t die of a snake bite either. Also this was out at Nimmitabel.

But much like the wedge-tailed eagles, we have taken over the snakes homes. Eventually they get the message & find a new home. When Kambah was the only suburb in the Tuggeranong Valley, a few snakes were killed by my Gran & neighbours. Now Kambah isn’t the most southern suburb, we no longer see brown snakes (touch wood).

Human fatalities are low but surely a snake bite has other effects? Life shortening/ loss of limb etc?
How many people get bitten and then have a heart attack?

peebus said :

Masquara said :

I understand that there have been exactly two deaths in New South Wales/ACT from eastern brown snake bites in the last 100 years. And there is antivenene available, and you have at least five hours to get that antivenene before a fatality is likely – even with a kid. So killing our wildlife is pretty stupid. For the record a brown snake suns itself in a quiet part of my garden most years. I phoned the ranger about it and the response was – “it’s shy – don’t worry about it”. So I didn’t worry about it. Frankly, this anti-snake sentiment is sounding a bit biblical and a bit “cray-crays atop Mt Ainslie threatening fire and brimstone”. Get with the science and be rational please!

The OP mentioned animals too. Do you have any stats on the number of domesticated animals reportedly killed by snake bites?

Well if you think pet deaths are on the same plane as human deaths, you’re a bit out there.

Mark of Sydney said :

But given that some species can be aggressive, and that small children and inexperienced dogs can be at risk, why not allow snakes to be removed from private property by registered wildlife handlers, as a public service or for a fee as they see fit?

Yeah, I think that’s the fair point to be made, which is there are plenty of qualified handlers in Canberra and surrounding NSW who are prevented from doing just that. (Not sure of whether it’s because they’re not granted an exemption or if it’s a positive law preventing them in the ACT). Either way, someone should get an answer out of the government about why that is. Surely they could allow it, even if with some conditions are imposed (for example snake has to be an area a certain period before intervention allowed).

Silentforce said :

“I like the idea of private snake wranglers who will come and catch/release the snake for a fee. Maybe the RSPCA could organise something along those lines?”

Yee Har! Bring in the Bounty Hunters. Who’s watching the snake go into, under the house; garden shed; garage; fighting with the cat/dog/guinea pigs while you are on the electronic WhitePages and the phone?

We’re not talking about Weeping Angels and mobile phones aren’t the novelty they once were. Canberra Connect: 13 22 81. Remember that and your multitasking abilities will amaze even yourself.

I now employ this method
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt6kKhlX8vU

I asked TAMS about removing possums that hang from the electricity wires and stir the dog up nearly every midnight. The nice lady at TAMS suggested I climb the pole and place conduit over the wires to stop the possums.

I didn’t take her advice and will never ring them again.

On the day I was moving out of my house (in a semi-rural area in NSW) earlier this year, I found a large tiger snake on top of a stack of firewood. It was not the first snake I had seen on the large block, and thinking this would be of concern to my new tenants (and old friends), who were moving in with small children (and that I had an obligation to tell them about it), I rang a local snake handler listed on a legitimate looking website. Within half an hour he had the snake in a bag without causing any damage to himself or the snake, and I was happy to pay him the $50 he charged. He said he would release the snake several kms away in bushland, under conditions set by the NPWS.

I think it’s unreasonable to expect a government ranger to come and remove a snake (assuming it will still be visible by the time they arrrive) every time some nervous nellie takes fright at seeing a docile red-bellied black snake, for example. But given that some species can be aggressive, and that small children and inexperienced dogs can be at risk, why not allow snakes to be removed from private property by registered wildlife handlers, as a public service or for a fee as they see fit?

By the way, why is it that it seems to be hairy-chested right wingers who go weak-kneed at the sight of a baby snake? You really should be living in an apartment.

“I like the idea of private snake wranglers who will come and catch/release the snake for a fee. Maybe the RSPCA could organise something along those lines?”

Yee Har! Bring in the Bounty Hunters. Who’s watching the snake go into, under the house; garden shed; garage; fighting with the cat/dog/guinea pigs while you are on the electronic WhitePages and the phone?

Masquara, I don’t know about human fatalities, but a big brown killed my sister’s cat and her dog in one brief interaction (in NSW) a few years ago. A feisty woman, she then beheaded the snake with a shovel – she had a toddler at the time.

I agree that there is absolutely no need to kill snakes willy-nilly. Most of them are timid anyway. Although, there was a large brown that lived in a drainage culvert near my workplace, and hundreds of people passed within a few metres of it every day in summer (it sunned itself in full view) and it wasn’t bothered at all.

But in the depths of suburbia, when they leave your place, most likely they will just end up in someone else’s yard. If I had little kids or pets in those circumstances, I wouldn’t be happy.

I like the idea of private snake wranglers who will come and catch/release the snake for a fee. Maybe the RSPCA could organise something along those lines?

Me and my Family First! Bugger the consequences (if I tell).

and it’s around $1500 a pop if your need an anti venene for your cat or dog if they happen to find it in your yard first.

Masquara said :

I understand that there have been exactly two deaths in New South Wales/ACT from eastern brown snake bites in the last 100 years. And there is antivenene available, and you have at least five hours to get that antivenene before a fatality is likely – even with a kid. So killing our wildlife is pretty stupid. For the record a brown snake suns itself in a quiet part of my garden most years. I phoned the ranger about it and the response was – “it’s shy – don’t worry about it”. So I didn’t worry about it. Frankly, this anti-snake sentiment is sounding a bit biblical and a bit “cray-crays atop Mt Ainslie threatening fire and brimstone”. Get with the science and be rational please!

The OP mentioned animals too. Do you have any stats on the number of domesticated animals reportedly killed by snake bites?

Masquara said :

So killing our wildlife is pretty stupid.

If it’s in my yard, it isn’t wildlife.

Robertson said :

The fool is the person who fails to take action when deadly animals enter their yards where their children are playing.

I understand that there have been exactly two deaths in New South Wales/ACT from eastern brown snake bites in the last 100 years. And there is antivenene available, and you have at least five hours to get that antivenene before a fatality is likely – even with a kid. So killing our wildlife is pretty stupid. For the record a brown snake suns itself in a quiet part of my garden most years. I phoned the ranger about it and the response was – “it’s shy – don’t worry about it”. So I didn’t worry about it. Frankly, this anti-snake sentiment is sounding a bit biblical and a bit “cray-crays atop Mt Ainslie threatening fire and brimstone”. Get with the science and be rational please!

c_c™ said :

Robertson said :

c_c™ said :

Robertson said :

And it’s also why stupid and careless parents take care of any snakes they see anywhere near the home.

Fixed that.

So your hobby is to “fix” other people’s quotes so that they stop making sense and then misquote them in a public forum?

Oh, wait, so your comment was genuinely telling people that responsible parents go whacking the nice native wildlife, thereby teaching their kids that the proper response to wildlife is to kill it rather than respect it. My sincere apologies, I’d hoped to save you the embarrassment of looking a callus fool. Carry on.

The fool is the person who fails to take action when deadly animals enter their yards where their children are playing.

Can you get a Darwin Award by proxy, if you “respect” brown snakes and they kill your progeny?

Robertson said :

c_c™ said :

Robertson said :

And it’s also why stupid and careless parents take care of any snakes they see anywhere near the home.

Fixed that.

So your hobby is to “fix” other people’s quotes so that they stop making sense and then misquote them in a public forum?

Oh, wait, so your comment was genuinely telling people that responsible parents go whacking the nice native wildlife, thereby teaching their kids that the proper response to wildlife is to kill it rather than respect it. My sincere apologies, I’d hoped to save you the embarrassment of looking a callus fool. Carry on.

Madam Cholet said :

This issue was disucussed on ABC radio last week. I couldn’t gauge whether those over the border who deal with snakes would attend to ACT dwelling snakes though. Probably not.

Room in the market for a wrangler.

I can sort of see both sides. Better things for our taxes to go to than sending someone from the gubmint out every time someone thinks they see a slimy tail in the garden and panics (my mum would be ringing every day). But I can understand some people, for a variety of reasons, wanting reassurance about exactly what they saw and where it is now. So I reckon there’s definitely room in the market for a private wrangler in the bush capital.

Masquara said :

Pitchka said :

Friend of mine recently decapitated a nearly 2m brown snake in their backyard…

Did you report them? What deadsh*ts.

If being a deadsh*t were a crime, we’d all be farked.

c_c™ said :

Robertson said :

And it’s also why stupid and careless parents take care of any snakes they see anywhere near the home.

Fixed that.

So your hobby is to “fix” other people’s quotes so that they stop making sense and then misquote them in a public forum?

Don’t give up your day job, eh?

peebus said :

Robertson said :

Gosh, I’m so helpless I need the government to protect me.

More like “Gosh, I’d like the government to give a damn about the people they represent”

Oh, you are a starry-eyed dreamer, aren’t you?

GYW said :

BTW, the best way to get bitten by a snake is to attack it with a shovel.

GYW has got it right, a ‘long’ handled shovel.

poetix said :

davo101 said :

GYW said :

BTW, the best way to get bitten by a snake is to attack it with a shovel.

I thought it was stepping on one while bush walking.

I thought it was being an egg.

Or being Cleopatra’s breast …

Pitchka said :

Friend of mine recently decapitated a nearly 2m brown snake in their backyard…

Did you report them? What deadsh*ts.

Watson said :

Wow, really? You would expect the rangers to go on a wild goose chase for a baby brown that would undoubtedly have been nowhere where it was last sighted before they were called?

Snakes rarely or never hang around in people’s backyards for any significant length of time.

You should teach kids how to behave around snakes, from a very early age. They’re everywhere here in summer, so you shouldn’t just count on the guv’mint keeping them away from you.

If you cannot deal with local wildlife using your backyard as a corridor, I suggest you go live in an apartment instead.

1

Snakes move. We had three on our driveway the other day. They yielded to the quad bike.

magiccar9 said :

And for the record, I’m not asking for their help every time I see a snake. I just feel that when it poses a measurable risk to the community, they should pull their finger out and help – else allow us to take matters into our own hands if we choose.

So take matters into your own hands if you feel that threatened. If you feel you can genuinely argue you or your household was in imminent danger, then you can legally defend your actions. Honestly, people are always cavalier in regards to road laws and IP piracy. Suddenly laws count for something when a bit of courage is involved.

There is only so much that is humanly possible to do. It’ll take a ranger twenty to thirty minutes to arrive on your door step, and snakes move. Unless it’s bailed up the wranglers wander around the place and shrug their shoulders. They’re not going to stick their face and hands into hundreds of cavity looking for the second most venomous land snake in the world. They’re not helped when people take their eye off the ‘ball’.

I’ve killed a couple of snakes in the house after unsuccessful calls to TAMS. One time I was advised to pin the snake with a broom when it came out from an in extractable position and then call them to come out. That wasn’t going to happen. And they’re not going to come after you if the snake is clearly a threat inside a house.

If they’re in the garden just shoosh them away. The snake bloke I talked to said use a long broom. Fark that. We use a mid-pressure hose to muster them out from beneath outdoor furniture and behind bins or anywhere where the kids play. High pressure is reserved for those that get shirty. They get the message. It’s our own non-lethal area denial system 🙂 Usually they just move off on their own accord.

magiccar9 said :

c_c™ said :

Anyway, to the OP, get over it. The snake won’t stay around for long, so you keep the kids inside for a while. Snakes are naturally shy, so they’re unlikely to approach activity anyway, like loud kids running around anyway.

While this may be true in some cases, it certainly wasn’t in this case. The snake hung around for the entire afternoon. And it’s a little more difficult with pets, but I suppose from your reply you wouldn’t understand this. It’s easy to keep a child indoors/educate them, not so easy for a dog or cat that needs to go outside. Also, animals aren’t as heavy footed as humans.

Second to your point, my neighbours aren’t from Australia – so they don’t exactly know our nature and what comes with it – especially their children.

MrBigEars said :

Snakes rarely or never hang around in people’s backyards for any significant length of time.

Try telling that to an elderly woman I met recently who has a brown snake living under her back deck. It refuses to move on, and TAMS still do nothing to help her. Unless it’s in her house they refuse to do anything. She literally can’t use her backyard during the warmer months.

And for the record, I’m not asking for their help every time I see a snake. I just feel that when it poses a measurable risk to the community, they should pull their finger out and help – else allow us to take matters into our own hands if we choose.

One entire afternoon! That’s 5 hours of your life you will never get back…

If your neighbours are not aware of the snake danger and how to deal with it, it is high time that they learn. It was the first thing I learnt when I migrated here from a country without dangerous animals. So if you want to be a good neighbour, offer them some educational material so they are more prepared next time they meet a snake.

Dogs… My dog taunted a death adder when we were camping recently. She was lucky she didn’t get bitten. And I’m now training her to leave anything that looks vaguely like a snake. There’s a trainer in Bungendore that does snake avoidance courses for dogs. Not sure if there’s anything like that available in Canberra. People in the country deal with this issue all the time. Some pets die, most have a natural respect for snakes. Such is living with nature. But I am guessing this was the first time you saw a snake in your yard and so it will probably be the last for a long time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_snake_bites_in_Australia

I’m not worried about snakes. I’m statistically more likely to die in a fire started by a volunteer firefighter. Not going to start whacking the RFS with a shovel.

Robertson said :

Gosh, I’m so helpless I need the government to protect me.

More like “Gosh, I’d like the government to give a damn about the people they represent”

Robertson said :

And it’s also why stupid and careless parents take care of any snakes they see anywhere near the home.

Fixed that.

c_c™ said :

Anyway, to the OP, get over it. The snake won’t stay around for long, so you keep the kids inside for a while. Snakes are naturally shy, so they’re unlikely to approach activity anyway, like loud kids running around anyway.

While this may be true in some cases, it certainly wasn’t in this case. The snake hung around for the entire afternoon. And it’s a little more difficult with pets, but I suppose from your reply you wouldn’t understand this. It’s easy to keep a child indoors/educate them, not so easy for a dog or cat that needs to go outside. Also, animals aren’t as heavy footed as humans.

Second to your point, my neighbours aren’t from Australia – so they don’t exactly know our nature and what comes with it – especially their children.

MrBigEars said :

Snakes rarely or never hang around in people’s backyards for any significant length of time.

Try telling that to an elderly woman I met recently who has a brown snake living under her back deck. It refuses to move on, and TAMS still do nothing to help her. Unless it’s in her house they refuse to do anything. She literally can’t use her backyard during the warmer months.

And for the record, I’m not asking for their help every time I see a snake. I just feel that when it poses a measurable risk to the community, they should pull their finger out and help – else allow us to take matters into our own hands if we choose.

Gosh, I’m so helpless I need the government to protect me.

c_c™ said :

All your friend did was kill a protected species that posed negligible risk, in a manner the increased the likelihood or injury.

I imagine his friend considers his children to be a rather more “protected” species than the extremely common and extremely dangerous brown snake.

Children have far poorer spacial awareness than adults. That’s why we have school zones on roads around schools. And it’s also why careful parents take care of any snakes they see anywhere near the home.

Killing native animals

(1) A person shall not, except in accordance with a licence, kill a native animal.

Maximum penalty:

(a) if the animal has special protection status—100 penalty units, imprisonment for 1 year or both; or

(b) in any other case—50 penalty units, imprisonment for 6 months or both.

(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to or in relation to the killing of an animal in circumstances in which the animal constitutes a danger to a person.

http://www.legislation.act.gov.au/a/1980-20/current/pdf/1980-20.pdf

davo101 said :

GYW said :

BTW, the best way to get bitten by a snake is to attack it with a shovel.

I thought it was stepping on one while bush walking.

I thought it was being an egg.

Watson said :

Wow, really? You would expect the rangers to go on a wild goose chase for a baby brown that would undoubtedly have been nowhere where it was last sighted before they were called?

Snakes rarely or never hang around in people’s backyards for any significant length of time.

You should teach kids how to behave around snakes, from a very early age. They’re everywhere here in summer, so you shouldn’t just count on the guv’mint keeping them away from you.

Having done a bit of snake molesting, this is pretty accurate. And having being called out to a snake that turned out to be skink, I can perhaps understand the bluetongue comment.

#8

c_c™

10:42 am, 04 Nov 13

Whoa, wow-wee, you really are on top of all things with your vast knowledge and opinion!!!

GYW said :

BTW, the best way to get bitten by a snake is to attack it with a shovel.

I thought it was stepping on one while bush walking.

Madam Cholet said :

This issue was disucussed on ABC radio last week. I couldn’t gauge whether those over the border who deal with snakes would attend to ACT dwelling snakes though. Probably not.

They’re not allowed to under law.

Anyway, to the OP, get over it. The snake won’t stay around for long, so you keep the kids inside for a while. Snakes are naturally shy, so they’re unlikely to approach activity anyway, like loud kids running around anyway.

Pitchka said :

Friend of mine recently decapitated a nearly 2m brown snake in their backyard… Very gutsy if you ask me, however better that, then not knowing where it is with small kids in the vicinity.

Your friend is an idiot. The easiest way to get bitten is to challenge a snake, in most other circumstances the snake will retreat, often before you even see it. All your friend did was kill a protected species that posed negligible risk, in a manner the increased the likelihood or injury.

I’m guessing most people don’t know that, certainly in the case of Eastern Browns, the majority of defencive bites will be dry bites. That is to say no venom at all.

It’s a bit like red backs, they have a fierce reputation, and yet few people would know that a) most bites will cause nothing more than localised pain (made worse by misguided use of pressure bandage), and b) only 10% of people will need anti-venom at all.

They will remove it if it is in the house. They removed one for us when it was in the garage which was under the house with internal access

BTW, the best way to get bitten by a snake is to attack it with a shovel.

Wow, really? You would expect the rangers to go on a wild goose chase for a baby brown that would undoubtedly have been nowhere where it was last sighted before they were called?

Snakes rarely or never hang around in people’s backyards for any significant length of time.

You should teach kids how to behave around snakes, from a very early age. They’re everywhere here in summer, so you shouldn’t just count on the guv’mint keeping them away from you.

If you cannot deal with local wildlife using your backyard as a corridor, I suggest you go live in an apartment instead.

This frustrates me too. I trained in snake handling with a Queanbeyan wildlife care organisation, but in the ACT no-one other than government rangers are allowed to relocate snakes. And, as far as I can tell, most of them aren’t very enthusiastic about it.

Friend of mine recently decapitated a nearly 2m brown snake in their backyard… Very gutsy if you ask me, however better that, then not knowing where it is with small kids in the vicinity.

This issue was disucussed on ABC radio last week. I couldn’t gauge whether those over the border who deal with snakes would attend to ACT dwelling snakes though. Probably not.

Room in the market for a wrangler.