It’s peak snake season on the Sunshine Coast, and local snake catchers are knee-deep in scales and fang with plenty of call-outs across Greater Caloundra.
The Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers team is pulling in 25 snakes a day, and while the breeding frenzy is almost over, snake season itself still has another 2-3 months to go.
Snake Catcher Summer Woolston said the team has been “flat out” responding to calls from locals reporting snake sightings across the southern Sunshine Coast and across Moreton Bay.
While many believe it’s just carpet pythons roaming our locale, a range of venomous visitors are actually lurking nearby.
“70% of our job is probably pythons but we are seeing plenty of red-bellied black snakes and plenty of eastern browns, even in suburban backyards,” Ms Woolston said.
“There’s also a lot of yellow-faced whip snakes out and about, which people often confuse for a brown snake, but which should still be avoided as they are mildly venomous.”
Ms Woolston, who was bitten on the face by a carpet python during one of her first catching assignments, warned locals to immediately secure pets and animals if they spot a snake on their property.
“We had a situation recently where a snake swallowed a cat and it couldn’t be saved,” she said.
“Secure your pets and your children immediately and then call a snake catcher – if you can, keep an eye on the snake and take a photo to send to us – we can identify most snakes from a picture.”
“It is really important not to touch the snake – that’s when people get bitten, and we have had a couple of eastern brown bites lately which can be very serious.
“People mistake them for tree snakes, but they are much more dangerous.”
Ms Woolston said if you are bitten, bandage the area, phone 000 and stay very still.
“The venom moves through the lymphatic system and the more you move the quicker it will spread,” she said.
“If you are still, the venom will spread much more slowly and give the ambos a better chance of stabilising you.
“Antivenom is not something you want to have to have administered – it is a very heavy drug to have in your system.”
An extensive snake identification page is available online at www.thesnakecatcher.com.au.
