paddyo

okaaay...what about the 'agressive snakes' like eastern browns which don't give a monkeys fat clacker if your a mouse or not, it just wants to go for you if you impede on what it perceives as 'its territory' even though it may be your backyard??
I am not for mass cull of snakes, I just hate the bloody things, scared sh!tless of them!!! Didn't even like Slow Worms as a kid!! Ugh!

Burbage

My uncle Billy had a ten foot willy,
He showed it to the lady next door.
She thought it was a snake, and hit it with a rake,
And now it's only five foot four.

Lord_Farquar

How do you know your uncle Billy had a ten foot willy?

I must admit the incident with the neighbour sounds unfortunate.

sportsendurance

Does it cost much to request a snake catcher for help?

furkew

as already mentioned, most snake bites/deaths are caused by people either trying to whack a snake on the head with a spade. (I would be pretty pissed off if some tall thing hit me on the head with a piece of metal. The first thing I would do is bite them) or drunks coming home from pubs trying to pick them up

Just leave them alone, or call the local snake catcher. (or make sure the shovel is sharp and you dont miss the first time)

kar-kier

So back to the original question - is it illegal to kills snakes in WA?

Just to set the record straight, I have absolutely no intention of killing a snake - i like snakes!! To be honest, I'm a little disappointed that after a year in WA, I have yet to see one!

Australia_bound?

You need to move to a more rural area then you'd be far more likely to see lots of horrible creatures.

mohogony

Yes all those posts you get here from people moving to suburbia worried about how to cope with crocs and snakes crawling everywhere.

Lord_Farquar

If I was moving to suburbia I would be more worried about dying from boredom.

DadAgain

About $100 - but the problem is gettign the catcher to show up whilst you see the snake. More likely is the following:

1) See a snake...
2) Run inside grab the phone.. look in the phone book or on www for snake cathcer phone number.
3) Call snake guy and describe snake
4) Walk back to snake last known location and stare at completely snake-free patch of ground
5) Call snake guy and tell him its gone...

REPEAT every few days for a while until:

1) See snake
2) Yell at family to grab phone
3) Hit speed-dial for snake guy whilst keeping eye on snake
4) Snake guy starts to get on his way
5) Pick up handy implement to keep snake in the open and stop it form hiding again before snake guy shows up
6) Hand over the $100 when snake guy comes at laughs at the panic over a harmless friendly serpent.

Petals

Protected species and so they should be, they do a wonderful job of keeping, rats mice and other little critters down. I remember the mouse plague a good while ago and boy you do not want one of them they were everywhere on th farms.

They will go away if you ignore them. The thing is if you live in QLD or an area that is known to have a lot like Snake Valley near Ballarat you would make sure you keep the fly wire door or any access to the house closed so they cannot come in.

I am frightened of them just like some people are of spiders and if there is one around I will see it, even nearly stepped on an Adder in the UK up on the Moors. Did my Achilles tendon on holiday once when I jumped when I saw one.

On another note there is a plague of red backs in Victoria at the minute and actually we found one under the couch while cleaning the other day, so keep a look out, they like dark places and make very untidy webs. Compost bins, sheds, wood pile, under beds favourite hiding places.

jayr

It is much riskier to take spade or other implement to a snake than to walk away slowly and calmly.

There is a good chance that if you go for a spade that the snake will end up taking the spade off you and hitting you on the head with it.

For the same reason don't aim a gun at a snake.

Lord_Farquar

...because he might also be packing heat?

jayr

Quite.

TiddlyPom

Snakes are deaf and very nearly blind. I saw a snake guy with a brown, and he put it on the floor by his feet. Then he moved suddenly and the snake became defensive... curled into the 'S' pose ready for a strike. Snake guy stood still... snake backed off and lay happily over the bloke's shoe whilst he continued talking. Apparently they see like the 'predator' from the Arnie film. If you move, you become visible. Keep still, you're gone.

Given that snakes are territorial, if you kill one, another will move in eventually.

I have lots of snakes here down the bush. I try to photograph them but they're very timid.


PS - From the Wildlife and parks thingy:

'snakes are not habitually aggressive and venom is used primarily to secure food and not as a defence. Only in the breeding season may they become territorial. Where humans are concerned, snakes are actually shy animals preferring to move away and hide or lie still in the hope of being overlooked.'