WITH summer in full swing, snake experts are warning locals to be alert and give snakes their space to prevent unwanted encounters and bites.

As cold-blooded animals, snakes love the warm weather and are often more active in summer, commonly taking up residence in areas with long grass, water and access to food.

As the south-west has experienced several days with temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius, residents need to be aware of what to do if they or their pet have a close encounter with a snake.

Common snakes in the Southern Grampians

Wicked Wildlife owner and operator, Nick Petropoulos has worked with snakes for 15 years and said the most-commonly encountered species around Hamilton are tiger snakes, copperheads, and eastern brown snakes.

“All three of our local species are considered dangerously venomous with tiger snakes and eastern brown snakes both being in the top ten most venomous snakes on earth,” he said.

“That being said, bites are rare and snakes generally do everything in their power to avoid being around us.”

South-west Victorian snake catcher of 12 years, Chris Worthy agreed the above snake breeds have the potential to be very dangerous and said people should remain cautious in the warmer months. 

“They are venomous, pretty much everything we get around here is venomous,” he said.

“Snakes are more active in the warmer months.

“Obviously being cold blooded they rely on body temp to get to a certain point to become more active.

“Breeding season was about a month ago as well so they’ll start having babies in about a month and most of our snakes give birth to live young.”

What to do if you see a snake

If placed in a situation where you are face-to-face with a snake the best advice is to keep an eye on it, remain calm and slowly back away until you are a safe distance from the snake.

Once away from the snake you can either let it move along on its own accord or call a professional snake catcher to relocate it.

Mr Worthy said a common issue when people encounter snakes was them believing the misconception they are aggressive and unnecessarily attack humans, which causes them to be fearful of the species instead of respectful. 

“They’re not aggressive they don’t chase people, if they’re left alone, they’re fine,” he said.

“If you leave the snake alone it won’t bite you, it’s only when you interact with it that it will defend itself and bite you.

“Most bites occur when people try to chase them, pick them up, stomp on them, or hit them with a shovel.”

The Nature Conservation Act 2014 lists snakes as a protected species, making it illegal in Australia to intentionally kill or harm a snake unless they threaten life.

There are exemptions for killing snakes within the Act, for example if it is within 100m of a home, however, Mr Petropoulos said killing snakes is still dangerous and should be avoided, especially if you’ve been bitten.

“Do not kill the snake because doctors are not trained to identify snakes, physical movement speeds up the side effects (of a bite) and it’s wasting time that should be spend on first aid,” he said.

What to do if you get bitten by a snake

When bitten by a venomous snake, the toxins within the venom are injected into the bite site, which can spread throughout the body and in serious cases cause medical emergencies such as organ failure, uncontrollable bleeding, severe tissue destruction and paralysis that may restrict breathing.

However, the mortality rate from snake bites in Australia is low and if the correct first aid steps are applied and medical attention is promptly provided the patient should make a full recovery.

St John Ambulance Australia said symptoms of a snake bite include swelling at the bite site, dizziness, nausea, blurred vision, difficulty breathing and limb weakness or paralysis.

Mr Petropoulos said there are some simple steps locals can follow if they get bitten to prevent the venom moving throughout the body and causing serious damage. 

“First, move away from the snake to avoid a repeat bite and apply a compression bandage starting from the end of the bitten limb (fingers or toes) working towards the armpits/groin,” he said.

“Then apply a splint or restrict movement by tying the arm to the body using a belt or legs together if no splint is available and mark the bite site on the bandage, if possible also recording the time of bite.

“Call 000, keep patient as still as possible and if possible bring help right to the patient rather than moving the patient.”

It is also advised not to try to such or cut the venom out of the bite site, as this in ineffective and leads to further injury.

Mr Petropoulos said it is also unnecessary to clean the bite site as any remaining venom can be used by doctors to determine the breed of snake.

Snake bites in pets

It’s not just people who can be impacted by snakes, but animals too, with Direct Pet Services reporting that close to 6500 pets are bitten by snakes in Australia each year.

Cox Street Vets veterinarian, Darcy Doyle said snake bites were a regular occurrence at the clinic.

“We have probably treated about 20 so far this season but have seen many more close calls and sadly the odd one which we have not been able to save,” he said.

“Main thing to be aware of is that we treat all snake bites the same as it is very difficult to determine what type of snake was involved unless you have seen the bite happen.

“The antivenom we use will work against the toxin from all three of these species so there is no need to differentiate between them.

“Anti-venom works by binding the venom in the blood stream but does not do anything for the venom that is already bound in the body.

“Some animals require two doses of anti-venom to be effective.”

Mr Doyle said cats often seem to have a higher tolerance for snake venom than dogs, increasing their chances of survival if bitten.

“For dogs, a snake bite is dangerous no matter what size dog, unfortunately they do not tolerate the venom well and without treatment (anti-venom) prognosis is grave,” he said.

“Cats seem to have a much better tolerance for the venom.

“Gold standard is for them to still receive a vial of anti-venom but there is a much higher chance of them surviving without receiving it compared to dogs.”

Mr Doyle said it can be hard to tell if your pet has been bitten by a snake as bite marks often aren’t visible and the symptoms are similar to heat stroke or toxicities, however, if you suspect your pet has been bitten it is vital you see a vet as soon as possible.

“Snake bite toxicity is a true emergency and the earlier you intervene, the better the prognosis,” he said.

“The signs of a snake bite can be variable but typical things you may see are vomiting, collapse or weakness, hypersalivation, shaking and tremoring, dilated pupils and loss of control off tongue (gag reflex).

“The onset of signs after a snakebite usually occurs rapidly but can also be delayed.

“It is common for dogs to show some initial signs but then appear to recover which can indicate a lethal dose has been given.”

Keeping snakes away

The Southern Grampians Shire website encourages locals to maintain gardens around their homes and outbuildings such as sheds, as snakes are attracted to areas that provide easy access to food, water and shelter.

Mr Worthy agreed with this and said around a house is often the ideal location for a snake.

“Snakes like places with a lot of rubbish or debris lying around, good access to water, overgrown gardens and gardens with lots of ground covers,” he said.

“Places that give them shelter and any environment that’s got lots of little skinks, mice or rats – a plentiful food supply.”

The Southern Grampians Shire recommends wood piles, stock feed, hay and long grass be maintained, as these are possible attractions for snakes.

Mr Petropoulos said moving materials that could act as a shelter or attract food sources for snakes was an easy way to reduce the likelihood of finding one on your property.

“Even things like stacking corrugated iron sheets upright rather than lying them down to avoid creating habitat for snakes around sheds and homes is good,” he said.