Snakes Alive! (And it’s important that they are)
The babes have begun to arrive at the shelter. Ducklings, plover chicks and the first magpie nestling have already required our assistance and care.
Other native critters that are making an appearance are our reptiles. Snakes and lizards are becoming more and more active as the warmth of the changing seasons becomes obvious. This time of year, our reptile friends are usually still not far from the shelter of their winter hiding spots. They are slower as being ectotherms, they rely solely on the ambient temperature around them and external heat sources such as the sun to bring them to active temperatures.
If you are worried about snakes around your property, there are things you can do to minimise the risk to your pets or people around your yard.
The most efficient way to deter our native snakes is to snake proof your yard or even a section of yard. Vermin proof mesh is hard, fine gauge, small holed mesh and is the only material safe to erect around the bottom of fencelines, gates and yards. Snakes will and do fit through chicken wire, even the small stuff and there is also a high risk of a snake getting stuck in chicken wire.
Soft, fruit tree netting, also called ‘snake netting’ is damaging to all types of our native creatures, not just snakes, as they get tangled and stuck in it. Netting causes horrific injury, pain and suffering to our natives and we attend entanglement cases of both reptiles, birds and mammals who fall victim to this horrible stuff each year. This netting is illegal, for very good reason. Please, do not use it.
Snakes need places to shelter and hide. If you do not wish to have a resident snake in your yard, eliminating piles of debris and rubbish helps.
If you love your rambling garden and have provided a welcoming habitat for snakes to live on your property, there are other simple things you can do to make things a little more snake safe. Keep paths and high human traffic areas clean and mowed short. This way you will be more likely to see a snake before you get to it. It’s usually when a person does not realise they’ve got too close to a venomous snake without realising or they are attempting to kill it, when a snake is more likely to deliver a bite possessing venom.
The scent of introduced rodents attracts snakes so if you have a rodent problem in your house or sheds, you can almost guarantee a snake will eventually appear. We recommend the old snap traps, electric traps or live capture traps to control introduced rodents as baits are lethal for all of our native species who feed on poisoned rodents.
Snake safety in our Australian environment is something every Australian should know as these animals are a critical member of a healthy ecosystem. Not only are they a top end predator but they are also a valuable food source for other critters such as birds and other reptiles.
Every household should have a snake bite bandage handy in both their first aid kit and also their vehicle, particularly if you’re a bush walker as I am. Scrub up on your first aid response for snake bite, there are plenty of resources online where you can refresh your knowledge on this. If you follow medical recommendations, if you do manage to be unlucky and cop a bite, you should survive and have plenty of time to get to hospital for treatment. Not many people die of snake bite in Australia due to our excellent antivenoms. You do not need to know what type of snake bit you now to receive the appropriate treatment.
Things you can do if you are faced with a snake in close proximity to minimise getting bitten are pretty straight forward.
Snakes move around their environment using smell and eyesight. They are extremely reactive to movement. If you are too close and a snake has realised you are there and they cannot escape, they will flatten their head and neck and raise their head off the ground. If the threat continues, they will stand right up, in what most people refer to as strike position. This is to warn us that the snake feels threatened and is prepared to attempt to defend itself. If the threat continues, a snake may throw itself towards you in a mock strike, not actually intending to deliver a bite but a further warning to move away. I’m sure everyone has heard someone they know say a snake ‘chased’ them. This act of moving towards a threat and mock strike behaviour is all defensive behaviour. A snake has no desire to actively hunt you out and chase you, but it will attempt to drive you away if other defensive tactics are not working.
The simple act of moving away from a snake is usually enough for the snake to take the opportunity to disappear into the surrounding environment without any more fuss. Snakes do not wish to engage with us just as much as we do not wish to engage with them. We are a predator in their eyes which they wish to stay clear of.
If you cannot freely and safely move away, if you stay still and do not move, the snake will perceive the threat gone and continue on its way.
If a snake is sitting in a place that’s not ideal, a soft broom is a great tool to use between you and the snake, the movement of a broom is usually enough to persuade it to move to a safer spot without getting close.
If you are walking or working in an area with lots of cover, habitat or a possible snake area, be vigilant, wear appropriate footwear and be mindful of your hands reaching into places you cannot see and lifting things off the ground which may have a snake resting underneath.
If you do not wish to share your space with a snake and you wish for it to be removed, do not kill it, call a snake catcher.
Killing a snake is not a hero move or necessary and is in truth, the senseless killing of a justifiably protected native species.
Remember, snakes do not wish to hurt us or our pets unless they feel their life is in danger.
Of all the bites in Australia, over 80 percent are ‘dry bites’. This means the snake has chosen not to envenomate and it was a warning bite.
We really can live alongside such a venomous species without harming them.
If you need a catcher, Bohollow can help.
