shovel first ..ask questions later...

[redbellybite]

Just putting up a few pics to show you all about the shovel users...This yellowface whipsnake was a victim of being in someones garden ..he was attacked by a garden spade,the man thinking he had killed it ,was surprised and worried 3 days later when it showed itself again ..he then called me to come and get it...

looks horrific but lucky for this fella it was able to have its tail amputated,with enough stump left ,so as to live a healthy life ...and why did he shovel it ? because he was afraid that it may bite his wife ,when she goes out to do some gardening...

 

[BenReyn]

Unfortunately, these stories aren;t too uncommon.
Great news ont he recovery though- you snake catchers dont get enough credit for what you do.
Well done.
Ben.

 

[moosenoose]

It's really quite disgusting. Armed with a phobia and humans can be one of the most unintelligent creatures on the planet!

 

[whyme]

well done rbb. its people like you who give that certain percentage of snakes a chance to survive. just curious, did you smack the guys ankle a few times and ask him how it felt? then maybe you could take him to the docs to get his leg amputated so the snakes wife would'nt get shovelled while they were looking for food in the garden.

 

[redbellybite]

well done rbb. its people like you who give that certain percentage of snakes a chance to survive. just curious, did you smack the guys ankle a few times and ask him how it felt? then maybe you could take him to the docs to get his leg amputated so the snakes wife would'nt get shovelled while they were looking for food in the garden.

no it does make you mad as ,but he was doing what he thought was correct ,,he was scared to ..I did explain that this snake wasnt a major danger to him or his wife but I am afraid most times it falls on deaf uneducated ears ...the fear of the 'WHAT IFS " overtakes commonsense and good judgement ..I did explain though had it been a more dangerous snake like the eastern brown ,using a garden shovel that is only 40cm long he wouldve come off second best ..and next time just call first ..

 

[whyme]

no it does make you mad as ,but he was doing what he thought was correct ,,he was scared to ..I did explain that this snake wasnt a major danger to him or his wife but I am afraid most times it falls on deaf uneducated ears ...the fear of the 'WHAT IFS " overtakes commonsense and good judgement ..I did explain though had it been a more dangerous snake like the eastern brown ,using a garden shovel that is only 40cm long he wouldve come off second best ..and next time just call first ..

good advice. has anyone ever thought of doing a letterbox drop with a description of what to do or who to call in case of said encounter. seems in the top end this is a common occurence. maybe approach the local council for help etc. if people could have a basic guide as to what to do they may be less inclined to reach for the shovel. just a thought.

 

[Snake Catcher Victoria]

Whyme, if you let every ignorant redneck that you meet, get under your skin, it will quickly take the fun and enjoyment out of the job.
Best to to forgive and try to educate and if that dosnt work, just walk..
Lifes to short

 

[Azzajay77]

Be good if people who lived rural did some research on what to expect.

I know of two instances - one family killed two 6ft plus brown snakes within a week because they'd make the mistake of going onto their prop

Another farm that i went too to pick up some beds i'd bought off them said that red bellies were common on their property and that they met the end of the shovel if they got in the way most of the time also ....



What can you do honestly ... some people....

 

[Sturdy]

Whyme, if you let every ignorant redneck that you meet, get under your skin, it will quickly take the fun and enjoyment out of the job.
Best to to forgive and try to educate and if that dosnt work, just walk..
Lifes to short

+1

its good to find some people that can be so intrigued about herps, they just stair at you with full concentration

 

[whyme]

Whyme, if you let every ignorant redneck that you meet, get under your skin, it will quickly take the fun and enjoyment out of the job.
Best to to forgive and try to educate and if that dosnt work, just walk..
Lifes to short

fair enough. you can only do what you can do when you can do it. like you said, lifes too short. keep up the good work though, fellas

 

[pythons73]

Another job well done Redbellybite,its a sad day of life when this happens,but lets face it,its always going to happen,all the talks about reptiles etc are listen too by many ppl,BUT how many actually take notice.I cant see why ppl that see them in their garden,yard etc cant just leave them and ring some1 experienced to come and catch and release.Frankly i wish i had a dollar for everytime some1 killed a wild reptile.Well done again .............

 

[Stompsy]

My mum in laws dog killed another snake in the backyard yesterday. I'm not sure what type it was but I am pretty certain it would have done no one any harm..

I kinda cringed a little when they called me out to see if it was still alive and I heard them telling the dog he was a good boy.

"Best to to forgive and try to educate and if that dosnt work, just walk."

I have tried a number of times to explain why native animals shouldn't be killed and now I just walk too. No one listens anyway.

 

[redbellybite]

Council and RSPCA,local police and Australia Zoo have my number,as far as advertising goes ,quiet often especially leading up to the hotter months the local papers will do a write up about snakes ,speaking to the likes of myself and a few others that catch locally...this does have some good responses,but like ssssssssnakeman says ,there are still some out there ,that regardless of what you have said or at times pleaded with them ..it falls to the way side...its even more tongune biting when they ring up ,like in this case and tell you that they had tried to kill it but its still alive...or poured boiling water over them etc ...they feel the need to tell you their snake encounters and the gory details that unfolded even though your here because of the snake which you love alot ...like someone telling you how they mutilate puppies because they hate them ...very upsetting at times but got to hold it in ..