Awesome thread guys. Some really nice looking snakes (even though I have no idea what most of them are). I hope you don't mind me hijacking for a minute and asking this here but you guys all seem reasonable and if I make a new thread it will turn into a typical APS war/slinging match.
I got a call the other night from my GF's uncle saying they had some sort of snake in their yard and asking what they should do. He tried to describe it to me saying they thought it was a whip snake but I have no clue when it comes to elapids (turned out to be an EB). I told him to just leave it alone and even go inside for 15 minutes and it would probably be gone when he came back. He didn't seem too happy with that answer but left it at that. I saw him at a family gathering last week and asked him what happened and he proceeded to tell me about how he harassed the snake for about half an hour by throwing rocks at it which make it really mad (who'd have thought!). After it got really fired up and started trying to go him he cut it in half with a shovel and left it. Then when he came back 15 minutes later and it was still trying to go him he cut its head off. Now they live in on a block literally surrounded by bush (Ebenezer for those of you who know the Hawkesbury) and I told him he should expect these things and he really should have just left it alone to go on its way. His response was that he didn't want it to hurt his dogs or his six year old son. So my question is, how do you educate people with this mindset who obviously have no regard for the welfare of the animals or the law? Is it even possible?
Cheers guys.
the day has come my friends,when it is becoming unacceptable to allow this extreme form of cruelty to raise its ugly head,
we have the most beautiful and amazing Herpetofauna in the world,and although some are considered highly venomous,they still account for very very few incidents where humans are harmed by what is very few species.
Our Snakes are the most amazing species and we should be proud to the world of them,but in reality many stupid people choose to harm them and also any other animal species like possums,quolls, and of coarse the most harmed of our national treasures the Kangaroo.
this is a sad storey we see far too often in my job,and there is no excuse for animal cruelty,if it was another type of animal people would want you locked away for first 1 harasing the animal 2 causeing grievous bodly and leaving the animal to suffer 3 finally killing the animal.Then that sends a message to his son that it is ok to do such a thing when the snake did absolutly nothing.
The only real answer if there so concerened is to contact a snake catcher,and have it emoved and id say it would e long gone by the time anyone came in that situation anyway.
I am pushing in my job to have these people charged like you would for any other animal offence,if they had just learned to leave the animal alone there would have been no problems,but stupid people get away with this form of animal cruelty,when in reality there is very very few situations where you can justify having to bludgeon a reptile to death .
keep up the good work guys! we need alot more like you out there.
