Snakes get a wriggle on as heat rises
Developing suburbs hotspots for serpents
GOLD Coast snake catcher Tony Harrison is taking up to eight jobs a day and says some of the city’s suburbs are worse than others.
Growth areas including Pimpama and Pacific Pines are experiencing numerous encounters as displaced snakes lose their habitat.
“Obviously cold blooded animals get more active as it gets warmer,” he said.
“The season began in midJuly and we’ve got a long way to go – we did eight jobs on Thursday, some with more than one snake.
“There’s a lot of activity around areas being developed.
“When a snake is living a lovely life under a log somewhere and a bulldozer comes and rips it away, the snake has to find a new home.”
Katie Eales of Wild Encounters snake catchers said that at this time of year there aren’t necessarily more snakes, they are just more obvious – and very frisky.
“Generally the end of August and beginning of September is the start of breeding season,” she said.
“It gets a bit warmer, males look for females and females are looking for males.
“We definitely have hot spots around the Coast – down around Currumbin and Tallebudgera we see a lot of carpet pythons and around Pimpama and Ormeau there are mostly brown snakes.”
Mr Harrison and Ms Eales agreed that experience, knowledge and calmness was vital whenhandling snakes, especially venomous ones.
A snake catcher for 26 years, Mr Harrison said it was hard to find quality staff.
“In 26 years I’ve only had three blokes I’ve wholeheartedly trusted,” Mr Harrison said.
“You can’t be scared in this job, if you’re scared you don’t know what you’re doing.
“When you’ve got a client that’s scared, thats when you have to be diplomatic.”