DEADLY CATCHES
SNAKES ON THE MOVE:
TWO of Australia’s most deadly snakes have been caught in Wonga Beach within a week.
Miallo snake catcher Brydie Maro removed a death adder and one of the biggest red-bellied black snakes she’d ever seen from two separate Wonga Beach properties.
Mrs Maro said the red-bellied black snake weighed in at a whopping 1.5kg and was about 1.5-1.8m long.
“It was a really big, solid snake,” she said. “That was the biggest I’ve ever caught in north Queensland. It definitely wasn’t happy to be relocated. It had an axe to grind.”
The northern species of redbellied black snake has an offwhite belly with an orange tinge.
The death adder, which Mrs Maro says is commonly found in Wonga Beach, is short and will strike hard and fast.
Mrs Maro encourages residents across the Douglas Shire to call a snake catcher if they have an unwanted guest in their backyard.
“My best advice, if you spot a snake, is to leave it alone, “she said.
“Don’t move it, don’t kill it and don’t go near it.
“Just call us so we can move it on. We want people to know they can call us to help.
“I was really pleased to have removed the red belly – a snake of that size would deliver a huge amount of venom that would be life-threatening.”
Mrs Maro said now was a good time to do backyard spring cleaning to avoid making a home for these slithering creatures.
“Don’t leave old items lying around, like tyres, and keep your lawns short,” she said.
“If you don’t want snakes in your yard, make sure heavy vegetation is clear too.”
Mrs Maro wants people to be wary of snakes on the move.
“It’s fairly common to see snakes getting around now as the weather warms up,” she said.
“They’re getting ready to eat and breed this time of year.”