Flaviemys purvisi
Very Well-Known Member
MAY 16 2018
By Emily Sharp
Animal Ark snake trainer David Manning is looking forward to helping people overcome fears and understand more about the slithering creatures
Animal Ark will be visiting Bunbury in June to equip people with the knowledge and skills to keep themselves and their pets safe around snakes.
A one-day Venomous Snake Handler Training course will be held on June 8 followed by Snake Avoidance Training for Dogs on June 9 run by animal trainer David Manning.
Mr Manning said people would get to meet a few friendly snakes before spending time using specialist equipment to catch and move some venomous snakes during the snake handler training course.
“The aim is to help people who have snakes on their properties or work in mining or construction to understand more about snake behaviour but also have strategies to catch and move them safely so nobody gets hurt,” he said.
“Not that long ago people would reach for the shovel or the shotgun but that’s illegal and it’s a very dangerous approach - it’s much better with some skill and training to safely catch them and move them on and then to look at why you’ve got them there in the first place.”
Mr Manning said snake avoidance for dogs was relatively new in Australia but had become common practise in America.
“The aim of the training is to encourage dogs to leave snakes alone, so when they see one or smell one they will find something else to play with instead,” he said.
“Surprisingly even as the weather starts to cool off when snakes hide away, the vets tell us they get dogs that have been bitten.”
For more information contact 9243 3044.
