The death of a six-year-old girl who was bitten by a brown snake in northern NSW has prompted the emergency services to issue a reminder to be wary about snakes.
NSW Ambulance says it's best to be especially vigilant during the warmer months.
Reptile handler Gary Pattinson is a volunteer with wildlife rescue group WIRES. He spoke to SBS about best practice when dealing with snakes and snake bites.
What can parents do to protect their children?
“If you live in a brown snake prone area, it’s essential to keep an eye on your children when they’re playing around in bushy areas. Young children, as well as pets, can’t communicate that they’ve been bitten. So it’s essential you keep an eye on them and make sure they wear closed shoes and long trousers.”
What do we do if someone is bitten by a snake?
“It’s essential that all parents in Australia know the pressure and immobilisation first aid technique for treating a venomous snake bite. This is a really basic procedure, it’s really easy to learn and it’s an absolute life saver. Kids should be taught this technique in school from the moment they learn to read and write. Nobody should die in Australia from a venomous snake bite."
'The most dangerous snake in Australia is the one that you don’t leave alone.'
Do brown snakes actively prey on humans?
“Generally snakes will keep as far away from people as possible. If you leave snakes alone, they will head off in the other direction. They have no vested interest in biting human beings. Why would you risk violent retribution when you bite something so much bigger than you? The most dangerous snake in Australia is the one that you don’t leave alone.”
The brown snake has a reputation for being quite aggressive, though. Is that correct?
“Aggression is a word that implies that a brown snake would instigate a confrontation and that’s just absolutely false. The best description for an eastern brown snake is that they’re very actively defensive. If they feel threatened, then they will turn and defend themselves. So the best advice I can give is: never fool around with eastern brown snakes. They are fantastic animals and absolutely necessary in the ecosystem, but certainly not something that people should mess around with.”
How can people avoid having snakes around their property?
“Common human encounters with brown snakes are often in farms and where people keep poultry, because the chicken feed attracts rodents and vermin. Eastern brown snakes are rodent specialists, so they would certainly be attracted to those places. People who have gardens near bushland and keep chickens or ducks should keep a high level of cleanliness. Keep any garden rubbish off the ground and don’t stack it in a corner, because snakes will find a nice comfortable place to hide. And as long as there is a constant supply of food, water, sunshine and shelter, they’re happy.”
'Over 90 per cent of venomous snake bites occur when people try to kill or catch snakes'
Do you worry more people will go out and try to kill brown snakes?
“The worst thing they can do is vilify snakes and say that they are evil. They’re actually not. They are absolutely essential in the environment. Statistically, over 90 per cent of venomous snake bites occur when people try to kill or catch snakes.”
Why are there more snakes around this time of year?
“Reptiles are ectothermic, which means that they are dormant during most of the colder months of the year. When it’s warm they come out and get their body heat from an external source, which is the sun. So in the warmer months, there is bound to be more reptile activity.”
'Snakes and sharks are always at the mercy of bad PR'
Are there more brown snakes now then there were in the past?
“I’ve been working with venomous reptiles now for over a decade and there are no more brown snakes around now then there were 10 years ago. Snakes and sharks - animals that can potentially be dangerous to people - are always at the mercy of bad PR. The reality is that there aren’t massively more brown snakes around than there have been in previous years. It’s just that a freak occurrence like this triggers a hysteria in the public.”
How many snake bites happen each year?
“There are several hundred snake bites that occur every year in Australia. But many of those don’t require anti-venom. And hardly any of them cause death. I think we lose maybe one or two people per year to snake envenomation. In comparison: we lose around a dozen people to bee stings, and nobody vilifies bees.”
