Bendigo snake catcher: Tameeka Stevens launches Greater Bendigo Snake Control
There’s a new snake catcher in town and this Bendigo business is breaking down the barriers for female reptile wranglers
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There’s a new snake catcher in town and this Bendigo businesswoman is breaking down the barriers for female reptile wranglers.
Tameeka Stevens said she was one of only five female snake catchers in the whole of Victoria.
Ms Stevens said the historically male-dominated industry was starting to see more women take on the slippery challenge.
“No snake catcher is the same … (but) men tend to be risk-takers while women are more strategic.
“You have to think on your feet … for the safety of yourself and the animal.”
Ms Stevens said her lifetime fascination with the potentially deadly creatures started because of a healthy dose of “sibling rivalry”.
She said as a girl growing up with three older brothers on a rural property she felt she needed to “one up” her siblings.
“So thought I would deal with the world’s deadliest animals,” Ms Stevens said.
“But I felt an emotional connection with these animals.
“I felt misunderstood, like the snakes.”
After three years of working with another snake catcher Ms Stevens launched her own business, Greater Bendigo Snake Control, in March.
Ms Stevens said she had already noticed a steady increase in call outs, largely due to Bendigo’s booming population.
“There’s a lot more housing development going on that is disrupting their natural habitat,” she said.
Ms Stevens said it was not a case of the snakes accidentally wandering into in person’s home, but the houses now appearing in their habitats.
And she said the snake problem could get worse if the regional mice plague reached Bendigo.
“A mouse plague goes hand-in-hand with increased activity with snakes,” Ms Stevens said.
Ms Stevens said it would be a busy snake season for her and the two other Bendigo region snake catchers if the rodent plague led to a snake infestation.
Ms Stevens said brown snake, red-bellied black snakes and tiger snakes were venomous varieties found in the Bendigo region, but she had been called to a fair few extractions where a blue tongue lizard, a bearded dragon or a skink had ended up somewhere it shouldn’t be.
Ms Stevens said if someone encountered a reptile in their home they should not attempt to kill or remove it and instead call a licensed snake catcher.
Contact Greater Bendigo Snake Control on 0481 587 637.
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