Cairns snake season: Cairns Snake Removals owner David Walton reveals types to avoid

A snake expert has warned peak season across the Far North has arrived and which ones to avoid. Find out what he said.

A snake expert has revealed which snakes to avoid as he warns peak season across the Far North has arrived.

Cairns Snake Removals owner David Walton said calls have picked up in the last month.

“Snake season started a couple months ago. As soon as we have that turn in temperature, they become more active,” Mr Walton said.

“Now is the peak time, once we get that real hot weather where it starts to stay hot during the night, when we get rain and a bit of humidity that’s prime snake weather.”

Mr Walton said the two most common snakes he has been seeing this month are scrub pythons and brown tree snakes.

Cairns Snake Removals’ David Walton with a massive scrub python. Picture: DAVID WALTON

“The scrub python is not venomous but if you annoy it, it will bite you but there’s not venom,” he said.

“The brown tree snake has a weak venom, is easily aggravated snake and will bite if it feels like it.”

Mr Walton said the snakes to look out for were red-bellied black snakes and coastal taipans.

“We’ve had a few red-bellied black snakes,” he said.

Cairns Snake Catcher Matt Hagan with a scrub python and two brown tree snakes that he was releasing PICTURE: ANNA ROGERS

“Red-bellies wont kill you, but it could keep you out for a couple of weeks so it’s not something you’d want to get bitten by.”

Mr Walton said the most deadly snakes were the coastal taipans.

“They are not overly common but they are around, they are probably the most deadly. They look like a brown snake,” he said.

“To most people they don’t know how to identify one from another, if you aren’t 100 per cent sure, treat all snakes with caution.”

A Red Bellied Black Snake is deadly.

Although snake season ends around April, Mr Walton said they catch snakes all year round.

“In the cooler months we are often pulling snakes out of peoples roofs,” he said.

“We always say never try to catch or kill a snake if you see one call for advice.”

Queensland Ambulance Service officer in charge at Mareeba Gavin Rablin said calls had increased for snake bites.

“There’s been 103 suspected snake bites across the state for October. 11 of those were in the Cairns and Hinterland area,” he said.

“We’ve started to get into the season.”

Originally published as Cairns snake season: Cairns Snake Removals owner David Walton reveals types to avoid