My first wild snake encounter

[RevDaniel]

It's a case of bad luck to the snake. It is dead now and nothing can bring it back. Hopefully there will not be a next time or if there is it might be a little different.

 

[ytamarin]

Yes perhaps a juvi brown snake. This is a Peninsula brown snake, it looked like this but with some red.

 

[slim6y]

I'm not saying who PM'd me haha, there's no reason to get petty.

I understand that people are very into herps here (and I am too), but what really grinds my gears is peoples' love of an animal getting in the way of reason.

As for that snake scuttling and not attacking.. how do you explain the 1000s of snakebites reported every year..? Those snakes didn't scuttle. I know of a family that lost a kid to a snake bite. Bet they wished they had shovelled it's head. And I wish they did too.

Snakes are great, but I'd rather a snake died than a person.

Well - to start off with... What is in the way of reason here?

How many people are bitten by snakes each year? show me some stats and then show me again how many die? Then show me again how many were bitten because they tried to kill or remove the snake?

People's fear and dislike are without reason, not the people here who have a reason to love!

Yes, snakes do bite - when they're disturbed... and 9 times out of 10 it's through stupidity... the other time is made up of accidental and wrong place at the wrong time...

I haven't gone and killed every shark I see - in fact, I throw most back if they're a by catch - and I have a friend who was killed by a shark - I caught a baby great white one day - I set it free... Why? Maybe it will kill a human.. maybe it will kill a seal? maybe it's doing what it does - yes it's sad... and that was a sad occassion - but he died doing what he loved, hunting for fish and paua - a shark saw him and perhaps mistook him for a seal... Who knows?

So - people's fear are not founded in my mind... same with crocodiles.. less than 40 deaths in 200 years! And all those again from stupidity!

With the correct first aid you shoudl be safe from any snake bite.

Now tell me again if you think I am in the wrong here... I'm not taking any sides, i am saying what I believe is right....

 

[slim6y]

Just found this

"In Australia there are about 3,000 snake bites per year, of which 200 to 500 receive antivenom; on average one or two will prove fatal. About half the deaths are due to bites from the brown snake; the rest mostly from tiger snake, taipan and death adder. Some deaths are sudden, however in fact it is uncommon to die within four hours of a snake bite."

http://www.usyd.edu.au/anaes/venom/snakebite.html

 

[slim6y]

and I just found 3.2 deaths per year 'snake related'

Agreed, it's higher thanI anticipated - but a country of 20 million... hmmmm.. cars are far more fatal!

Children dressed appropriately and correctly warned stand a much greater chance of surviving - even in their own backyard!

Sorry Phil, I totally disagree wuth what you're saying.

 

[slim6y]

call it tiredness - but I can't believe some of the apathy on this site - borders shocking... I expected more out of you waruikazi - not that sort of sarcasm... usually you have something quite positive to say, but not so much this time.

Chances are that snake would go on and lead a productive healthy and happy life... But not now...

I stand by what i said... The man should be reported and at the very least educated about his mistake.

This country is full of native species haters - crocodiles, roos, you name it - aussies hate it!

 

[PhilK]

Mate, we're on the same side here. I'm not saying that I kill snakes or I'm happy about it. I'm giving the ignorant public a voice, and showing you their side of the argument. If you can't see both sides of an argument you shouldn't enter it mate. I know there aren't many people who die of snake bite and I know for the most part fear is unfounded etc etc etc. Doesn't change what Farmer Joe thinks. Nothing will change what they think. They see a snake, they kill it so it doesn't bite their son/daughter/livestock/dog... Again, I don't support it, I'm just saying it's what they do.

Call it tiredness, but the 'edit' function allows you to add to a pre-existing post slimy:lol:! Apathy/realism.. where do you draw the line? Yes. That snake could have leada productive life. Or it could have killed someone's kid, or it could have been eaten by a cat, or a kookaburra... This bloke killed it because that's what he's always done. You can report that 'til you're blue in the face, nobody is going to get him in trouble for killing a snake that was on his verandah or porch or whatever.. Fact.

 

[slim6y]

so take their side Phil... I don't agree - educate them!!! Then they're no longer the igronant public... most of those people have never been to a zoo and haven't had the joys of education... so why not us do it...

All I know is in the same situation as yellow... I would have acted very differently... no matter who it was... so call me extreme - and I know you're on my side... and yes I have an ability to see both sides... but I don't agree that because it happens let it happen!

That sort of attitude is the apathy I talk about!

 

[PhilK]

Once again I'll tell you that when I see it happen I do educate them. And once again I'll say I'm not 'taking their side'! I also agree education is the best, and I do it whenever I can. All I'm saying is they have their reasons, and see us 'snake lovers' as bonkers. It's alot less effort for them to swing a shovel than to go and phone a relocater, and keep an eye on the snake 'til he gets there, you know?

 

[slim6y]

personally I think it's easier to leave it alone entirely... but that's my choice of course!

 

[PhilK]

But if you leave it alone entirely, how are you sure your kid won't step on it while playing with his trucks in the back yard?

 

[slim6y]

oh god.. I need an answer for everything... You dress your child appropriately, you tell the child where you saw it... you warn the child about taking care, you keep a first aid kit... god, is it that tough?

You obviously don't have kids...

 

[ytamarin]

On that note, what is the actual recommended method of dealing with venomous snakes on the property? Call a snake relocater? If everyone did this wouldn't it be an absolutely booming business? I'm just curious.

 

[PhilK]

Yes. I don't have kids... But I was a kid, and I know (as you probably do) that kids don't always listen to their parents or remember what they were told. Especially while engaged in play..

Kid goes out the back and plays in the grass with his car. The snake might be there. Maybe it wasn't before, but maybe it is now? The kid isn't looking for it, so all the education in the world can't help. He rolls over and it gets him? ..That's what happened to the family we knew. They told their kiddy there was a snake in the front yard and gave him boots and jeans and he went out the back to play.

 

[slim6y]

now apparently jeans are thick enough to avoid the fangs making contact with the skin... thus stopping venom... good call... secondly... grass should be short enough so the snake can easily be seen...

Thirdly... supervise your children... best you can...

Fourthly... have a first aid kit available and ready...

Fifth... If they saw a snake out there - why didn't they call a relocater?

The day we had a tsunami warning my daughter and I had planned on going to town to a movie or a swim... but we couldn't go until the warning had passed... Common sense Phil.. common sense!

 

[PhilK]

Secondly: kid was playing with a truck, not looking for a snake
Thirdly: can't always have an eye on your child
Fourthly: good point. But I'm not sure they new their first aid..? Not sure there..
Fifth: they didn't call a relocator because they took your approach "leaving it alone"

My common sense would tell me to keep my kid inside if there was a snake, but they must have had an error in judgement and it cost them dearly... All I'm saying is that many families have that fear, which is their reason for using a shovel.. For some people God knows they'd rather use a shovel than common sense.

 

[slim6y]

the supervision thing is oh so important... and clearly overlooked!

And thank you for repeating what we all know... people don't use common sense then they have the poor judgement of blaming someone/thing else!

 

[PhilK]

Come on.. With supervision, you can't always be there. That's impossible! Letting your kid play in the yard is something most parents would do without supervising... That's an easy mistake to make.

 

[slim6y]

did I say there for a second that I would leave my child unsupervised?

I mentioned it was oh so important.. and there it is - it is!

Personally playing in pairs etc is better - then someone can get help...

If that's out of the question... I will make sure my daughter is well supervised one way or the other.. easier with one kid I tell ya.. why people have two i don't know???

 

[nervous]

sorry to say but it 100% your fault you could of told him to put the shovel down and told him to call a snake catcher

after all as you said its your parents house now
anyway you totally did the wrong thing in not protecting the reptiles we love or our native wildlife and for you to just stand by and watch tells me your a coward and dont deserve to own reptiles or any sought of wildlife!!!