Wrangler’s tips to avoid snakes during summer season

With the weather warming up Aussies should be extra vigilant about snakes, but one expert has issued some tips.

With the weather warming up Aussies should be extra vigilant about snakes, and one expert has issued some surprising tips to deal with the pesky creatures.

Snake season typically starts in September and can continue until April.

Townsville snake catcher James Bindoff told news.com.au there are simple techniques to keeping snakes at bay.

“Prevention is the key,” he said.

“Keeping your yard tidy, keeping your bushes off the ground so there is no places they can get into, making sure you don’t have built up rubbish or piles of wood that is stacked and neatly kept are important.”

Townsville snake catcher James Bindoff. Picture: Supplied

’Prevention is the key,” says Bindoff. Picture: Supplied

Mr Bindoff said new developments are pushing snakes into surrounding suburbs.

“We don’t see a massive increase in numbers because reptiles only breed once a year but in certain suburbs there is an increase,” he said.

Mr Bindoff said if people spot snakes they should “stay clear, take a photo from within a safe distance, keep an eye on it and call a snake catcher”.

“When we see them they are on the move looking for food.”

The most visible snakes this season, according to Mr Bindoff, are common tree snakes and the carpet python.

Twitter Ag friends ….

What have you found useful for deterring #snakes from coming in your house yards?

Yesterday’s little encounter with a RBB put the wind fair up me… 😵‍💫

I’d love to know if there are ideas or strategies I’ve not thought of or heard of ?

T.I.A 🙏🏻✨

— Shanna Whan (@shanwhantweets) January 3, 2024

he urged people to “start respecting” snakes.

“They are a native animal and they are protected so they deserve the same respect as wallabies,” he said.

“All reptiles are protected under the native wildlife act.”

Mr Bindoff’s warning comes as more and more stories emerge on social media of close calls with snakes.

Shanna Whan encountered a red-bellied black snake last week on her northern NSW property in Narrabri, and put a call out on social media asking for strategies for dealing with snakes.

One person wrote “geraniums around the house” as a way of deterring them.

Another suggested snake-proof fencing which is “easy to maintain and gives us peace of mind. Added advantage of keeping rabbits out of the garden too!”

An eastern brown snake spotted in the carpark of ALDI at Adelaide Airport. Pics: 7News

“Guinea Fowl,” a third wrote. “If you and the neighbours have a temperament that puts up with guinea fowl theatrics, snakes can’t survive them.”

More than 500 people were hospitalised with venomous snake bites in 2021-22, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Kane Durrant, Director and Principal Ecologist of WILD Conservation said eastern brown snakes, which are found across the eastern states from North Queensland to South Australia, are “considered to be our most dangerous snake in Australia because of the toxicity of their venom and because of their proximity to humans”.

“Generally, there’s on average about two deaths per year in Australia from snake bites … and eastern browns are responsible for the most deaths in Australia,” he told news.com.au.

With the hot weather Mr Durrant said he’s received increased calls from concerned residents who have spotted snakes on their properties, with eastern brown snake encounters making up a third of their calls.

“They like dry grassy areas and there’s been quite a few sightings of them by rivers or on the beach and in picnic grounds,” he said.

“They can also be seen near people’s fish ponds and water features in the yards, and sometimes that includes animal’s water bowls.”

-with Brielle Burns