Thread: Do you run over snakes?

Originally Posted by Tango51

If you are reading a book and a snake comes your way, keep reading. It will pass by.

Nice story!

My associate at work went out to have her lunch recently. She sat on the ground leaning against a building - thus forming a gap between her back and wall. Un-be-known to her a metre long copperhead slithered between her back and the wall of the building and ended up in her lunch carry basket which she had beside her leg. She was just about to reach into her basket and spotted the snake.... .... she quietly got up and rang me on her mobile ... Sure enough story was true... we threw a towel towards the snake, which responded by crawling underneath. A snake catcher then did the rest....

Originally Posted by Tango51

If you are reading a book and a snake comes your way, keep reading. It will pass by.

Feel a bit sorry for my mate, I dropped him in it on this thread. He did what he thought was right.

I have read the discussion with interest and it is certainly food for thought, but I have to side with the clown.

I like nature and wildlife, afterall that's why we were there; but my definition of taking the greenie tree huggy attitide too far is having a King Brown sliding round your camp and you sit there pontificating about its beauty.

Originally Posted by JamesH

Feel a bit sorry for my mate, I dropped him in it on this thread. He did what he thought was right.

I have read the discussion with interest and it is certainly food for thought, but I have to side with the clown.

I like nature and wildlife, afterall that's why we were there; but my definition of taking the greenie tree huggy attitide too far is having a King Brown sliding round your camp and you sit there pontificating about its beauty.

Firstly I loathe snakes.... my father had me holding them when I was a terrified 8yo... hated them since (and didn't respect my father for what he did to me on that occasion)....

Secondly I started killing the occasional red belly when working as a fifteen year old on the farm - always used a shovel or an axe.

Thirdly - as a forty five yo I was asked to kill a large black in an old lady's house - it had bitten her dog..... all very well .. I struck the shovel down, it moved .. I broke the shovel handle next to the snake... and then had to find an alternative. If it had been a brown I wouldn't even been in the same piece of backyard... but if I wasn't quiet so scared and indeed done the same as I had with this particular snake - ie hit at it and then end up with a crumpled shovel and handle.. I may well have been bitten..

So - generally - I'd recommend steer clear. But if must kill have a someone familiar to quick despatch do it - as last resort - not first.

Originally Posted by FenianEel

Have had the "yellow belly black" argument several times with people that wouldn't know the difference between a tree snake and a blue tongue

Whilst we're at it - one for the punters - the King Brown is actually a black.

and that, unfortunately, is the majority of the population.
To prove a point, I have rescued many hysterical men and women from a snake in their backyard, which on several occasions has been a piece of garden hose, I kid you not.But when they called me on the phone they described in great detail how it chased them across the yard.

Originally Posted by Numpty's Missus

I thought the colour varied dependant on habitat

the "King Brown" or more correctly "Mulga Snake" is a member of the Black snake or Pseudechis,(sue-deek-iss) group which comprises the Red Belly, Spotted, Collets and Butlers(after Harry) Black snakes.Mulgas are highly variable in coloration ranging from brick red to black to spotted in black and yellow.The brown snakes belong to the Pseudonaja (sue-doh-nah-jah) group and the main difference between the 2 groups is that the black snake family are more heavy set and have a greatly reduced neurotoxic component to their venom.

Originally Posted by CraigE

That should read Mulga Snake I think.
Thought Ron would have beaten me to that.

Nah, I haven't been into this thread for a day or so.

Originally Posted by JamesH

Feel a bit sorry for my mate, I dropped him in it on this thread. He did what he thought was right.

I have read the discussion with interest and it is certainly food for thought, but I have to side with the clown.

I like nature and wildlife, afterall that's why we were there; but my definition of taking the greenie tree huggy attitide too far is having a King Brown sliding round your camp and you sit there pontificating about its beauty.

The thing we need to remember is we are in their camp site, not the other way around.
If they are creating imminent danger fine, but if they are just there, then why? Would it be fair to bash and kill every Toyota driver on the assumption they are dangerous?? (Ah I may retract that one as it cause there is probablly just cause for that one).
I have stopped people killing snakes often. If it is in your tent or swag fine, but just nearby, no.
More often than not I pose the question"why do you want or need to kill it", Most of the time the answer is "because it is dangerous to my family" (even though it is 50 metres away)usually to a snake that has viewed us and is just going about its business, not being agressive. The is a more of an inherrent risk of being bitten by a snake trying to kill it than it coming up to and going "geez I might bite you". Snakes are generally very timid creatures. Of course there are always exceptions to the rule and an agressive snake can not be tolerated.
We have had snakes in our camps on many, many occassions and every time just scare them off. Noise is the biggest deterrent, why kids should always be loud, snake though they can not hear as such do not like the reverbrations that they are highly sensitive to.
Some young aboriginals taught me the best way to walk through the bush is with a big stick banging it on the ground in front of you, lets the snakes know you are there so they can move away.

I remember during my first stint in the Reserves doing a recon job, in packet of about six 110's on Singleton Range and a snake was caught in the middle of the track across one of the wheel ruts....it wasn't too happy by the time I hit it (I was last vehicle).

Mind you it wasn't there later in the day when we went back....