Where snakes are biting across North Queensland: Townsville, Ayr, Ingham, Charters Towers, Hughenden, Maggie Island
Two shocked workers found a deadly Eastern Brown in the cab of a work ute, as new data reveals where snake bites are most common across North Queensland. Search our interactive.
Townsville
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The discovery of a deadly Eastern Brown in the cab of a work ute by two shocked workers has highlighted the care needed heading into North Queensland’s peak snake-encounter season.
The cautionary tale comes as Townsville Health and Hospital Service release new figures revealing that there have been more than 800 recorded snake bites in the region in less than five years.
“Now it’s getting warmer and it’s mating season, snakes are going to be seen more frequently as the weather heats,” snake catcher Jamie Chapel said on Tuesday.
“There are snakes all over Townsville, there’s no particular suburb or place that’s got more than the other, they’re everywhere.”
Last year was a recent record for snake bites in the THHS district, which incorporates Hinchinbrook, Charters Towers and the Burdekin, as well Hughenden, Richmond, Magnetic and Palm islands.
In total there were 188 snake bites victims that required emergency treatment in regional hospitals, ahead of the 177 victims in 2018 and well ahead of the 165 and 155 bites in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
Attacks so far this year sit at 121, with 91 in Townsville City, eight in Hinchinbrook, six in the Burdekin and 11 in Charters Towers, but that figure was set to climb.
Mr Chapel, owner of Chapel Pest Control and Snake Take Away, said encounters with venomous snakes were more likely to occur during the day while run-ins with non-venomous snakes such as pythons were more likely at night.
The Townsville-based snake removalist said he had recently been called to remove Eastern Browns from near The Strand in the Townsville Central Business District and Burdell.
Mr Chapel said an unusual recent case involved the extraction of a highly venomous Eastern Brown discovered by two workers as they were driving a work vehicle in Elliot Springs.
“That has to be one of the more interesting ones, when they opened the door he got caught between the door and door jam so he was basically stuck in there until I came and rescued him.”
He said it was a myth that venomous snakes were unable to climb but they were not as proficient at it as tree snakes.
Mr Chapel strongly advised locals to give any snake they encountered a wide berth and to call licensed and reputable snake catchers for any removal.
“Don’t try and capture or kill a snake as it is detrimental to your health, it’s dangerous, as well as illegal.”
Townsville University Hospital emergency department deputy director Dr Natalie Ly said the safest course of action for any snake-bite victim was to assume the snake was venomous and begin first aid.
“To perform first aid on a snake bite, a tight pressure bandage should be applied around the whole of the affected limb,” she said.
“This limb should be immobilised and there should be no walking or movement. You should present to the ED as soon as possible for assessment and monitoring.”
Dr Ly said victims should not attempt to catch the snake and take it with them to ED.
“It is unnecessary and we don’t need to know the species of the snake to treat you.”
She said most bites could be avoided through simple precautions such as wearing protective and heavy footwear while walking through bush or calling a qualified snake catcher to remove any snakes spotted around the house or yard.
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Originally published as Where snakes are biting across North Queensland: Townsville, Ayr, Ingham, Charters Towers, Hughenden, Maggie Island
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