Do the regs need to be changed?

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Pauls_Pythons

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https://au.news.yahoo.com/video/wat...ghting-for-life-after-being-bitten-by-taipan/

Following this incident in QLD there are comments all over social media saying its all too easy to get a licence to own/keep one of these highly venomous animals.
I myself have considered keeping ven's but having young grand children really makes it a no brainer for me though I was surprised that I can get a licence to keep in Victoria with NO previous experience handling anything venomous, no qualifications required, no course that must be attended, no minimum supervised hours handling, NOTHING. Pay a fee, send off for a licence and next week I could go buy a RBB, Brown, Taipan, Colletts whatever I like.

Is this not totally ridiculous? Do the rules not need to be changed?

Thoughts below. Please keep it sensible, no fighting your corner at the expense of healthy debate.
 
Victoria's ridiculous lack of licensing has ruined the turtle scene in that part of the country. So many mongrel turtles being bred by idiots with no idea.
 
I think he’s an idiot.



Here’s another video on the same topic.
 
I think he’s an idiot.



Here’s another video on the same topic.

Why do you think he is an idiot? You have no idea what the circumstances were when he was bitten. There is nothing in that video that makes me think he is an idiot.
In regard to licensing Paul, if it is that easy to get a venomous license in Victoria then things definitely need to be changed. Are you sure what you wrote is definitely the case, not having to do a course or anything of that nature just doesn't sound like it is right.
 
Why do you think he is an idiot? You have no idea what the circumstances were when he was bitten. There is nothing in that video that makes me think he is an idiot.
In regard to licensing Paul, if it is that easy to get a venomous license in Victoria then things definitely need to be changed. Are you sure what you wrote is definitely the case, not having to do a course or anything of that nature just doesn't sound like it is right.
If you had a taipan, you would sit it’s tub up high with the snake still in it? That seems like a stupid thing to me.

Aswell as the off topic swimming while drinking.

Doesn’t seem like someone who should be in possession of venomous snakes.
 
I don't see the need for super strict rules on venomous snakes, if someone gets one and doesn't know what they're doing, bad luck for them.

I'm going too disagree with your comment. The need for ruling and regulations is to stop more of this sort of thing happening. Just think, if there was no ruling on keeping highly venomous snakes, how many more keepers there may be with little to no clue as to how to protect themselves or everyone around.

Just because you know what your doing it never guarantees your safety.
Latest example @ronhalling just posted a thread yesterday that he was tagged. I don't know ron but I do know it's not his first time handling a snake:) on that thread there was several other occasions of people being bitten.
Now think if all these snakes were venomous..
 
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As more and more licences and bureauocratic interference is introduced Australia is running out of staff and money to do the licencing properly. Australia needs to work out what is important to licence, and do that properly rather than just throwing a licence requirement of something and assuming that it is now under control. With the staff they have I would suggest proper elapid licencing is a must and forget all the other reptile licences.
 
Where does it say anything about a tub?
So what if he is having a drink in the pool, when you are old enough to drink you will probably do it too, that in no way makes him an idiot or incapable of handling venomous reptiles.
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Hanging over the edge.

Surely there’s a restriction involving the accessibility having to be locked by a padlock and not using a tub for venomous snakes. I know I’d like to keep my venomous snakes locked up if I had owned any.
 
I think he’s an idiot.
.
I wouldn't say idiot either -

Why? He wasn't alone with the snake,
Hopefully not just coincidence but a rule set for that snake.
Proper first aid was on hand and emergency services where inbound moments later. Hopefully he'll recover
An idiot would have laughed the bite off and met their maker within the hour
 
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Hanging over the edge.

Surely there’s a restriction involving the accessibility having to be locked by a padlock and not using a tub for venomous snakes. I know I’d like to keep my venomous snakes locked up if I had owned any.
I may be wrong but to me that looks like file footage, not footage from this particular incident. Possibly even shot in a vet with the looks of what is in the background.
 
Its all part of learning.

The best way to get experience is to keep something. Most people have close calls and work out whats the best way to do things. It also helps to have a wise guru to mentor you along your journey. A few get unlucky and get tagged, just the way life is. As long as what you are keeping is secure, ie locked room, its nobody else's business what you get up to in your own home.

I find it a little amusing reading the thoughts and views of reptile keepers who haven't ventured down the venomous path.

Myself, I have 2 young children now and have shelved all my snake keeping activities for awhile. But I do still excited playing around with the vens like I used to keep when visiting friends collections.

The very few hospitalizations caused by keeping snakes in aus and their cost per capita to the health budget is buggerall when compared to other hobbies like horse riding or trail bike riding. A bit of perspective is helpful before screaming for more hurdles to licencing herps.
 
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Keeping a large example of one of the world's quickest and deadliest snakes in a tub with 15cm high sides and no (safe) access without taking the lid off is, frankly, quite stupid if that's how it was housed. (I'm not attributing the Channel 7 file photo to this keeper - it may have come from anywhere...)

I don't see the need for super strict rules on venomous snakes, if someone gets one and doesn't know what they're doing, bad luck for them.

I'm sure you would be fine with a child or a neighbour or some other uninvolved person, or their pet being bitten by an escaped, highly venomous snake. "Doesn't know what they're doing" may have far wider consequences than simply for the unskilled keeper.

Jamie
 
I don't see the need for super strict rules on venomous snakes, if someone gets one and doesn't know what they're doing, bad luck for them.

Thats a highly irresponsible attitude to take in my opinion. How about no one needs a licence/practice/test before taking to the roads in a car. Same result but also 'bad luck' as you call it to innocents.
 
The fact that bureaucrats plan and devise the rules and regulations of reptile keeping is a joke. Especially seeing that most, if not all, have little to no interest or experience in reptile keeping.

I don't think adding more regulations is going to help. I agree with RB, only experience can prepare you. Even the best, most experienced of us will sometimes have an accident, and no amount of restrictive regulations is going to stop that. You can put in as many hoops as you like to dissuade the idiots from acquiring potentially dangerous animals but they'll still slip through. All these regulations will do will be to serve as a waste of manpower and a hindrance to those who are willing to do the right thing. Look at Western Australia for example. The hoops we have to jump through to acquire a cat 5 licence is ridiculous. We need shire approval, we need references from cat 5 reptile keepers/dealers, and we need at least one year's experience keeping a cat 4 animal without it dying. Tell me, do you think keeping a Black Headed Python is going to prepare you for keeping a Dugite? Do you think keeping a Pygmy Python is going to prepare you for keeping a Heath Monitor? No bloody way. Quite frankly, in no way it's the shire's business what I keep on my property. They don't need to know what I feed them, how often and where I get their food from. They don't need to know how many reptiles I wish to keep, when and how I pick up their feces, nor do they need to know why I even want to keep them! Yes! The shire do ask you these questions, assuming they even want to give you approval. The only thing they need to know about is my ability to keep them locked away and secure in their enclosures. And what of acquiring a reference from a cat 5 keeper/dealer? A somewhat difficult task for someone to do when there's not many of them around to begin with. Also a difficult thing to do for someone who lives in rural areas, tends to keep to them self and doesn't really mingle with people that often.

Despite all that, idiots still get through. I don't know if anyone remembers my emaciated Black Headed Monitors. They came from a cat 5 reptile keeper. I'm almost certain the lizards would have died if they had kept them any longer. Good thing they had the sense to cut their losses and sell the lizards off before they completely lost out on making a profit.

I agree that acquiring venomous snakes should not be as easy as it appears to be over in the Eastern states. But don't be so eager to hand over your freedoms to the bureaucrats. You just might end up living in WA (not literally of course). Fools will still get what they want, regardless of the regulations that are put in place.
 
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i go with every one else just keep the rules the same and people should stop trying bad luck if he got bitten we all make mistakes and he was rely experienced to but yea bad luck any way
 
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