My first wild snake encounter

[ytamarin]

I'm pretty sure everyone who has posted here, whether they agree with me or think I was wrong not to report the guy or whack him with the shovel, is esentially on the same boat here. We all know he shouldn't have done what he did, and that it would be great if something could be done about it.
I remembered this morning something my dad told me after we left the house. He said the man mentioned one of the parents of the snake lived near the house next door, he has seen it. Nobody lives in that house, yet he hasn't gone over there to hunt down what could be the breeding mother and kill it. So it seems he will only kill a snake if it appears to him to be a direct threat. I think that's a positive. It also tells me that these people are already educated about snakes and their positives.
I bet this man already knows that they are great for keeping the mice at bay, I bet he knows all their positive attributes, "but not when they are near the family". I honestly don't think much can be done to change this attitude in a middle-aged adult who has grown up thinking this way.

 

[slim6y]

Ok - it's been said before YT and Whisper - and there's no point in repeating it over and over again.

Whisper - to show passion or be passionate about something wouldn't mean sitting back and saying it's going to happen... you can turn a blind eye all you like - but that's not passion!

I'd love to see the world's attitude change to many things, including whales right down to christmas beetles!

Even in some cases bacteria (yes, you heard me right, bacteria - our over cleansing society is leading to deficiencies amongst our children and disease is become prevalant).

I couldn't imagine an Australia without snakes - In fact I have read that South Australia in some parts has the highest amount of predators per sq km than anywhere in the world - most of those predators are snakes!

Anyways - I am glad there's a sharing of passion - but with that passion comes a small responsibility of sharing that passion and educating the ones around you - so pack up the shovels and take your snakes over to them YT (sorry, you do have snakes right?) - Whisper - make sure your friends all know about snakes - when they come over let them play with your ones (again if you have some).

It's simple to do and it saves snakes!

And changing the way we think is something humans can do - we have this ability to learn and continually learn. Hell, we've changed the world's perspective on CFC's - and htey were cheap and easy to use - now... you won't find a single item in Australia that uses CFC's (that has been built after the 80s). So the world's mind can change!

 

[ytamarin]

Yeah I do, the non-venomous variety. I'm sure he'd be happy to meet a python, but we generally don't have pythons on Victorian farms.
Education is definitely more important where the land is shared by pythons and elapids - I bet there are plenty of farmers who kill any slithering animal they see near the house without checking to see if it is dangerous. If he'd killed a scrubbie or something, then there's a major issue with his education.
Whether or not this particular case was a lost cause Slim6y you will be happy to know that my friends and family get sick of me talking about reptiles, and I have taught a number of people that not all snakes are venomous (or poisonous!) and debunked other commonly held negative beliefs about our reptilian friends.

 

[slim6y]

haha.. good on yer YT - tho... There's definitely something wrong with the education if they kill a scrubby in Victoria... I think identification worries haha! Or someone's escaped pet!

Anyways - that's what passion and hobbies are all about!

Dispelling myths and education!

Keep it up - you may have lost htis one, but I'm sure you'll make sure that you won't lose again

 

[Retic]

I think you will find that what he did would be found to be perfectly acceptable to the authorities, it was a potential threat to his family in his eyes and he eliminated the threat.
When I was in Geelong years ago a bloke dug up the floor of his chicken shed and killed a Tiger Snake in front of the the press, guess what happened to him ? He got his photo on the front of the paper.
This happens every single day, we will not educate the people who think the only good snake is a dead snake.

OMG - what were you thinknig.. why didn't you tell the man to stop? Sorry, but I would have got that shovel and whacked him one!

You're going to find a lot of flack on this thread me thinks...

In fact so much so that people may be requesting you call the Victoria EPA what ever they're called and have that man fined! It's an offence to harm a native animal!

 

[ytamarin]

lol yeah I meant, if there were scrubbies...

 

[slim6y]

I disagree boa - the whole point of education is to educate those people - and i bring back the point of CFC's...

 

[ytamarin]

Right I'm off to a local festival now (with an educational reptile display)

 

[Retic]

At the end of the day it doesn't matter whether you agree or disagree, the fact is that the vast majority don't care what kind of snake it is, it's a snake therefore it will kill them or their kids.
I caught my first Tiger Snake when I was maybe 8, I had no real idea what it was but I am extremely passionate about them but I also live in the real world and calls for this bloke to be reported are just absurd, the reply would be he was entitled to protect his home and family.
Of course it's tragic.

 

[slim6y]

So you tell me boa - when you go to a house to relocate a snake, dangerous or not, do you give a speil about how they did the right thing by calling you? They tell their friends... and so on... It does work... I know you can't change the world.. but you can change just the one... and that's where it starts.

Everyone tries to think so big before they've even looked at the small... Start off one at a time...

Anyways, boa, you do a great job I am sure, and you are one of the most passionate people on this site without a doubt. But what's the point of all that passion if it's just bottled up inside hehe

One less person who kills a snake is probably a good start!

 

[prealongus]

Getting back to the question, depending on where in country vic that farm is, but sounds very much like a copperhead to me. Have a look at some of their pics about.

As for the legalities you will find that its perfectly legal. No authorty in oz would ever take action against the guy. If someone reported it n outlined the details they wouldnt even bother talking to him.Its near his home he saw what he thought was a threat doesnt matter if it was or not he saw it that way and "defended" so to speak himself. Case closed. This practise is extremely common next to no farmer will pay for someone to come out and relocate it.

 

[GrumpyTheSnake]

I'm gonna put my 2 cents worth in, and I'll probably cop a flaming for it.. but hey... it'll take the heat off Yellow.. she didn't do anything wrong.

I live on a property. I LOVE my snakes. I also have 3 and 5 year old kids, horses, dogs and sheep. If we see a RRB in my house yard, we remove it. They're great to have around. But if we see a Browny near my house... bye-bye!!!!! You can educate your children, and adults alike, but a Brown is a Brown in my opinion.

A little 11 year old girl on a neighboring property was killed a few months back by a Brown snake in her garden. 45 mins from bite to death. Where is your 4 hours in that scenario Slim6y????? She was educated about snakes. But when one is hiding under foliage, and strikes with no warning or presence... all the education in the world amounts to exactly jack ****!!!!!! You go and tell her family that they shouldn't kill snakes they see near their children. You go and tell them they are murders and should be locked up!! This family still has other young children.. you go and tell them that they shouldn't do everything in their power to protect their babies. When you live 100k into the bush... sometimes waiting for someone to come and remove a snake is too late.

I live with snakes around my property every day. I know the difference between a RRB and a Brown. You can't judge someone for wanting to protect their family, the guy probably had no idea of what sort of snake it was, only that it could have harmed his family.

I'm not saying that I like it. I hate the thought of people just killing snakes willy nilly... but I can understand it. We are the lucky few that know a little about these creatures... Even some of the members on this site don't know the differences between the elapids, so how could we possibly expect non-herpers to know the difference.

 

[Retic]

I never relocate snake, it would be illegal for me to do it without a license
I went to the house of one of the mothers at our boys school the other day to look around and tell them how to make the yard less snake friendly therefore less dangerous for snakes ironically. This woman wouldn't kill a snake but was a little concerned about her young children, rightly so. I gave her a few tips which hopefully will help both the snakes and the children.
Don't mistake my realism with apathy, I will at every opportunity spread the good word BUT one thing I have learned over the years is that SOME people see things in black and white, live snake bad and dead snake good. These people aren't interested in what kind of snake it.
Believe me I don't keep the passion bottled up

So you tell me boa - when you go to a house to relocate a snake, dangerous or not, do you give a speil about how they did the right thing by calling you? They tell their friends... and so on... It does work... I know you can't change the world.. but you can change just the one... and that's where it starts.

Everyone tries to think so big before they've even looked at the small... Start off one at a time...

Anyways, boa, you do a great job I am sure, and you are one of the most passionate people on this site without a doubt. But what's the point of all that passion if it's just bottled up inside hehe

One less person who kills a snake is probably a good start!

 

[Bung-Eye]

sounds to me like you didn't have much of a choice yellowtamarin. all these suggestions that you should report him are pretty pointless too, no matter how many times your report him there's just no way anybody's going to do anything about it.

damn shame you had to watch though.

 

[cockney red]

Well said grumpy. Well said YT. The real world is certainly calling for some people on this site.

 

[slim6y]

Grumpy - I read about that case - was a misfourtunate accident...

cockney - I am real world... The fact I see that a live snake is a good snake probably removes me from reality... But you know - no one on this planet will share the same opinions on everything... So therefore what constitutes realism is purely imaginative anyway.

Back to reality now

Read back and consider education again cockney - you may find that is a real world answer to many real world problems

And well said Boa - there's a real world person...

 

[MoreliaMatt]

good on ya slim6y, agree with everything youve said here!

 

[$NaKe PiMp]

I'm gonna put my 2 cents worth in, and I'll probably cop a flaming for it.. but hey... it'll take the heat off Yellow.. she didn't do anything wrong.

I live on a property. I LOVE my snakes. I also have 3 and 5 year old kids, horses, dogs and sheep. If we see a RRB in my house yard, we remove it. They're great to have around. But if we see a Browny near my house... bye-bye!!!!! You can educate your children, and adults alike, but a Brown is a Brown in my opinion.

A little 11 year old girl on a neighboring property was killed a few months back by a Brown snake in her garden. 45 mins from bite to death. Where is your 4 hours in that scenario Slim6y????? She was educated about snakes. But when one is hiding under foliage, and strikes with no warning or presence... all the education in the world amounts to exactly jack ****!!!!!! You go and tell her family that they shouldn't kill snakes they see near their children. You go and tell them they are murders and should be locked up!! This family still has other young children.. you go and tell them that they shouldn't do everything in their power to protect their babies. When you live 100k into the bush... sometimes waiting for someone to come and remove a snake is too late.

I live with snakes around my property every day. I know the difference between a RRB and a Brown. You can't judge someone for wanting to protect their family, the guy probably had no idea of what sort of snake it was, only that it could have harmed his family.

I'm not saying that I like it. I hate the thought of people just killing snakes willy nilly... but I can understand it. We are the lucky few that know a little about these creatures... Even some of the members on this site don't know the differences between the elapids, so how could we possibly expect non-herpers to know the difference.

i remember the story on the news about that young girl up tamworth way,who felt a prick on her ankle
and didnt know what it was,and within 45 minutes was dead.
this is the most unfortunate case ever,
luckily for most this is an extremely rare incident.
it would have far greater probability of a child being hit or backed over by a car.
I suppose we should mainly concentrate on keeping round the house snake unfreindly
like having no long grass and keeping hiding places to a minimum.
but they still will come sometimes when foraging for food perhaps
unfortunantly and you got to do what you have to do and if you cant catch one that gets in your house you may have to kill it
i would worry about other things that could harm your child more though
but protecting your family is important

 

[MoreliaMatt]

unfortunantly and you got to do what you have to do and if you cant catch one that gets in your house you may have to kill it

im still yet to see a really valid reason for killing a snake, even in or around a house....

sure if it had a child cornered and was trying to maliciously attack it then fine..... but that does not happen! lol

 

[slim6y]

Incidentally grumpy - i never wrote that scenario about snake bites and fatalities...

Again, as Matt just pointed out - most snake bites occur because of people handling them or trying to kill them. The rare few that get accidental bites are often treated (3000 - 5000 cases per year) of that - there's around about 0.1% who actually die!

That's not a terrifying statistic.

Im not going to rank it against road accidents etc - because that's worthless info.

but that one girl, 45 mins to death is what most would call an extreme case.

Remember last year there was that guy who "Steve Irwined" it - captured a brown snake and was bitten. He died a couple of days later. Firtsly he did all the wrong things - (from what I remember) - he attacked a snake, after bitten he didn't take the right first aid precautions, he moved (and later collapsed on a cricket field) etc etc... Now, his case was relatively normal.

I see many adverts on TV trying to protect drivers - no drink driving, wear your saftey belts etc etc... Do I see one on there saying beware of snakes? No... Why? Because they're not a threat!

And you know what's more - it takes very little to do the right thing - do you all have your first aid kits? Do you all know what to do if you're bitten or someone around you is? Have you all done a first aid course in case resuscitation is required?

So stop blaming the innocent snakes and start doing the right thing!