AFTER four death adder snakes were found within three weeks in a Mount Isa backyard, snake catcher Gavin Lawrence has put out a warning to people of the dangers of the feared reptile.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mr Lawrence said snakes can appear anywhere and people need to treat them with extreme caution even if they think they are confident about the type of snake they are dealing with.
"I have come across quite a few around the Overlander, Pelican Road and the top of Pamela Street," he said.
"People need to be really careful on the Pamela Street Hill at the moment too."
"Education is the most important thing you need when you are dealing with snakes, and people can be quite ignorant about the dangers," he said.
"I have big concerns with kids poking them with sticks and parents really need to educate their kids and teach them that every snake is a venomous snake and treat it as dangerous."
Mr Lawrence said identifying snakes can be very difficult even for experts and the best thing to do if you see a snake in your yard is to keep an eye on it and call someone to come and catch it.
"Keep clear of them and watch where it goes so you can direct the snake catcher when they get to the scene," he said.
Mr Lawrence has seen people do many dangerous things over the years including trying to kill snakes with fly spray.
"When people try to kill it, that's when they get bitten," he said.
"Don't ever try to pick it up or kill it, just keep your distance."
Mr Lawrence and his wife Sharon have been involved with the keeping and catching of snakes for more than five years after buying one as a present.
He said he wasn't keen on snakes before that, but it had quickly become an addiction.
The Lawrence family now own several snakes of the python variety and keep them in immaculately presented enclosures lining the walls of their living area.
Mr Lawrence works on a maintenance crew for Xstrata and is one of several Xstrata employees trained and qualified by the mining company to safely and competently handle snakes.
Every year he participates in refresher courses for venomous snake relocation and handling for catch and release and damage mitigation permits.
He is passionate about the welfare of snakes and wants to remind people that "we are living in their domain".
When relocating snakes Mr Lawrence exercises extreme caution and is mindful not to put himself or anyone else in harms way.
"We don't corner snakes, if they want to get away they are more than welcome," he said. "If we catch snakes, our aim is to remove them from around people and take it to a more remote area so everyone can live happily."
The home where the death adders were found belongs to Dee Lomax, who only moved from England to Australia three years ago.
"We obviously have snakes there, but nothing like this," she said. One of the adders was found inside, one in the pool and two in the garden.
Mrs Lomax said she acts with extreme caution these days and operates a nightly "snake watch" where she checks outside with a torch every evening.
"We have taught the kids to be very careful and put shoes on every time they go outside," she said. "If the kids are outside with the dogs and the dogs are acting strange and digging in hedges they need to back away and call the dogs."
Mrs Lomax said Mr Lawrence had been extremely helpful with identifying and catching the snakes and she has learnt a lot from the experience.
"People just need to be vigilant and be respectful," she said.
"We don't want to kill them, to me that is just senseless...but I told Gavin I now had him on speed dial."