Snakes get busy in cool
TOWNSVILLE snake catchers are warning residents to be cautious of snakes during the cooler months, with reptiles coming out of hiding and searching for sun.
Long-term snake catcher Greg Calvert said snakes were active all year in North Queensland, but could become quite visible this time of year.
“They are seeking sunshine, they might not be so secretive,” he said.
“There are no big explosions in number or anything like that, it’s just an annual behavioural cycle.”
Mr Calvert said in North Queensland snakes had plenty of opportunities to sun themselves.
“Tree snakes and pythons might be doing so at the tops of trees … there are always snakes all through the suburbs of Townsville,” he said.
Mr Calvert said it was important to leave snakes alone as they would not attack if they were not being provoked.
“Don’t try to catch them, pick them up or kill them, give them the respect and space they deserve,” he said.
“They are not looking for trouble, they want to stay away from humans and get on with the job they are doing.”
A Queensland Ambulance Service spokesman said there had been 41 snake bites in Townsville from January until May.
There were 45 during the same period last year and 40 in 2017.
The spokesman said it was important for residents to remain aware particularly in long grass and around gardens.
Mr Calvert encouraged residents to keep kids and pets away from snakes and if conflict was unavoidable, not to take matters into their own hands.
“They are not the sort of animals that congregate, for most of the years they are solitary in trees or people’s ceilings,” he said.
“They do a really great job at reducing rats and other vermin in the suburbs.”
He encouraged residents to visit the Townsville snake catchers Facebook page if they wanted to identify a snake. The page provides contact names and numbers for several catchers across different suburbs.
Mr Calvert said the vast majority of snakes he received calls about were non-venomous carpet or common tree snakes.
“Both are harmless, in a lot of cases they don’t need to be relocated,” he said.
However it is important to be aware of the venomous lesser black whipsnakes.
“The most fatalities were people who didn’t treat the bites as serious, (they) didn’t realise what was going on,” Mr Calvert said.
“Don’t ever treat any snake bite as being minor, go to hospital.”