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BlakeWright

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Hi all i live in nowra 2 hrs south of sydney and am wondering if there is any sort of snake handling/relocation courses available. or anyone know where i can get some info on courses.
 
bucky, i cant find anything about any courses being held in sydney.
cant find any info at all about any handling courses in nsw....?
 
Have you tried your local WIRES group or a nearby herp association?
 
We have advertised several times in this site, if people are interested they need to contact us, we are running a course in Melbourne on the 12&13th June, this course is recognized by NSW DECCW!
 
what are you aiming towards, relocating animals; keeping/playing with pythons; or keeping/playing with elapids?

advice for each of these would be different
 
We have advertised several times in this site, if people are interested they need to contact us, we are running a course in Melbourne on the 12&13th June, this course is recognized by NSW DECCW!

just cos its recognised in NSW doesn't make it in sydney? its a fair hike to melbourne from the south coast...
 
Jack we advertised for a course in Sydney and not enough people responded, EOI was sought for courses in three other states!!
 
According to the National Training & Information System (NTIS) a company called Skills Connection Inc. is the only Regestered Training Organisation (RTO) listed to offer the Reptile and Venomous Snake Control

Their website appears to be currently under contruction so it wont help much

Not sure if Snakehandler.com.au is affiliated with this comany or they're the same, just trading under a different name not listed on the NTIS

As Jack said, start with attending some meetings and getting to know some people in your area. Then see where that takes you
 
Skills Connection are the RTO we have contracted to work with, we own the copyright on the course and are the only company actually running this exact course......we wrote it!

It's hard to run a course interstate if people who claim to be interested don't contact us when courses are offered! We are more than willing to travel almost anywhere to a group of interested people, weekends or weekdays!
 
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I would recommend that if you wish to fast track yourself in NSW there area couple of options. Joining a wildlife rescue organisation is a good start as it gives you access to basic training but most importantly; and this is rarely mentioned; it gives you insurance coverage. This insurance includes public liability and personal in case you are injured or bitten. It will cover any excess medical bills and loss of income.
The problem with a rescue group is that you have to wait till training is offered and the ongoing support can besporadic. You need to be self motivated. Many of those who complete the course do not bother to make them selves familiar with different species and rely on someone else identifying a snake afterwards. You could undertake TAFE animal handling courses for basic reptile work but you will need to do three components before dangerous reptiles come in to it. You will though meet people who keep and rescue venomous snakes.
Doing an industry approved course is quickest.
We have at least one person' maybe more, in our organisation who has done the Snakehandler Course. He says we have a very similar structure but that Snakehandler spend much more time on the nuances relating to handling and identification as well as some other aspects. OH and S are very important parts as his course caters for industry as well as the hobbyist and volunteer.
I dont think WIRES accepts Snakehandler qualifications but Sydney Wildlife do as does DECC(or whatever they will be called) in NSW and all industry bodies.
The only negative I have of Snakehandler is those round hoops they use.
 
WIRES and any other wildlife group do not issue catch and release permits and you can get insurance through other groups too, it's interesting IF WIRES don't accept our course given they wanted to buy it from me but failed to negotiate a price!
 
I am not sure what your point is Sean, you dont issue Catch and Release Permits either. Wildlife organisations extend their license to cover their members who have trained in the appropriate courses. As long as you remain a full member you have a license.
WIRES dont recognise anyones course except their own. If they bought your course they would still not recognise anyone trained by you. You have to do the WIRES course with them.
 
I dont think WIRES accepts Snakehandler qualifications but Sydney Wildlife do as does DECC(or whatever they will be called) in NSW and all industry bodies.
My point is that WIRES does not give out a permit......I have never claimed to, I simply provide one of many courses in Australia and WIRES wanted to buy my course two years ago! WIRES need to understand that there are several great courses out there, and to reduce the stress on them there is a process called recognition of prior learning, which will enable them to have more snake catchers available that have met appropriate levels of training, that is the idea of an RTO accredited course, for it to be Nationally Recognized not only by wildlife authorities but also employers and volunteer groups!
 
Wildlife Rescue groups offer venemous handling courses and it's worthwhile getting involved with these groups, you can save snakes from people, very satisfying. Also around the sydney area Neville Burns does a ven relocation course I hear good things about
 
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