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Snakes fall from trees in Qld floods

Snakes are still posing a threat to emergency and cleanup crews in central Queensland, with the reptiles even trying to escape the rising waters by slithering into flood boats.

Snakes are still posing a threat to emergency and cleanup crews in central Queensland, with the reptiles even trying to escape the rising waters by slithering into flood boats.

And in Dalby a snake catcher has been hired to protect New Zealand SES volunteers. Western Downs Mayor Ray Brown said snakes are still posing a real threat to emergency and cleanup crews.

"We have a contingent of 20 SES volunteers from New Zealand working in Dalby at the moment but we've had to hire a local snake catcher to go around with them and keep the snakes away from them, because the Kiwis don't like them very much," he told AAP.

"There are no snakes in New Zealand so these poor blokes are pretty spooked by it all and the Aussies are taking every opportunity to tell them as many scary snake stories as they can," he said with a laugh.

The mayor said while no one has been bitten yet paramedics are on hand just in case.

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"They're not here just in case of snakebites but they're ready to deal with them if necessary," he said.

"I was talking to a medical crew who went out on the Condamine River at Dalby in a flood boat just on dark last night, and they had a number of snakes swimming up to the boat and trying to get in because they're looking for anything to hang onto.

"And there have been lots of stories about snakes getting caught up in trees and as boats go by they're just plopping out of the trees; I mean it's not raining snakes but it's not the most pleasant of places to be.

"Their country's been flooded too and they're just trying to survive, but anything that wriggles mate, you stay well away from, and I have a lot of respect for snakes."


2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


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