Copperhead Snake Release

[GeckoTree]

I thought you done a good job getting the snake to the reeds, I would'nt be doing that job for quids, Oh and I LMAO at the very end Completely random!

[snake catcher]

Just out of curiousity are you allowed to release/relocate snakes anywhere "in the wild" or do you need special permission and/or a special place.

Where does one choose to release snakes in Sth East Melbourne (just so i know not to go there).

I can release them anywhere within reason.I wouldnt let them go close to anywhere where houses.I am on the peninsula AussieDog and I am lucky because there is a heap of scrub and national park around.

On the licence i have for this, it says i need to relocate them within 5 kms of the catch site.

If i cant do this i am supposed to euthanise them.

Thanks to everyone for the comments.

Cheers

[gillybob]

Such a beautifull animal.

[PossumCorner]

Such a beautifull animal.

Yes, - and great job snake catcher. It was good to see some video of it for ID. If I'd seen that one briefly and wild I'd have said red-belly because of the colour underneath: but quite different when you look at it. We caught a young brown snake in the house years ago (let's hear it for large square tupperware containers) and released it up on Black Mountain in Canberra. It only shot a metre away, then stood up full height and was ready to have a go. Cute but scary.

The within 5 km of the catch-site is interesting, do you know why this is? With echidnas in Canberra area, the rangers told us not to release the ones saved off the highway near Yass or Goulbourn on Black Mountain because of the gene pool mix, and trying to keep the Canberra ones separate in case future captive breeding was necessary to preserve species. I thought this was a bit far-fetched, but I suppose looking at the Tasmanian Devil programs it does have some merit.

[snake catcher]

Hi PossumCorner, Tuppaware does have many uses huh.

Brown snakes have a particular way of standing up high in a double s shape and they can be quite daunting to catch when they are big because they are so fast and flighty.

We release within 5kms because the dse think that will keep the genetic information intact for each locale.

For instance,they wouldnt like me to release a Dandenong tiger snake in Portsea because,naturally they would never mix.

Animals on the islands and in Tassie are a different kettle of fish because they are all truely locale specific.

I'm useless at getting lizards off the road with my minimal impact methods.

Hey Corvus, if it wasnt for humans,cars and..dare i say it..domestic animals..the wildlife carers ,controllers and refuges would have a lot less work on our plates.

Im all for minimal impact to but we always get call for animals that have already been impacted on,

if you know what i mean.

[TeamSnag]

*Faints* Ewww snakes lol

[nicrowkz]

*Faints* Ewww snakes lol

LOL I agree!

Great vid... But eeeeeeeeeeeeeek! Snakes are so scary! Even when one of my friends gets his baby python out I run a mile and in to a different room... Is the copperhead venomous?

[Greytmate]

I dont think i was tormenting the snake,I saved it from a redneck with a shovel, i let it come out of the tub on its own and i followed it with the video camera.

You did not let the snake come out of the tub on its own, even though that is what it looked like the snake was trying to do. It was halfway out and you grabbed in with your hand, and then you got out your hook and for some strange reason you then started flipping the snake around.

Why didn't you just let the snake continue to slide out of the tub itself? Why did you have to handle it?

It appeared that you were trying to steer the snake towards something. A person with a video camera! Yes, a frightened snake is really going to enjoy being herded by you towards a person.

You might have been following the snake, but the person videoing was right in front of the snake. I can't imagine how it wouldn't have felt trapped with the camera person continually approaching it directly. Why didn't the cameraman stay filming from the side or behind instead of continually getting directly in front of the snake each time the snake changed its direction? Maybe then the snake wouldn't have felt threatened enough to strike.

The snake was obviously distressed. It tried to change direction many times, but the camera kept getting back right in front of it.

Pity the need to get the video of the snake striking was more important than just releasing the snake near the reeds and walking right away from the frightened animal. That is what you did in the end after you had had your fun and got the video you wanted.

I didn't enjoy watching it, and I don't need a warning like that to tell me it might be dangerous to get in the face of any wild animal.

[Nekhbet]

Christ Greytmate he wasnt flipping the snake around at all ;) and yes you use a hook in order to properly manage a snake

Copperheads are quite zappy snakes, yes it's pissed but I wouldnt call it tormented at all. I think you took this whole video completely out of context ;) as for picking the native flora dont you know what dry gun leaves look like

[Erny]

Snake Catcher ..... hope you'll come out to my place if I ever have the need of snake removal. ;) .... hope that never eventuates.

Beautiful creatures, but they make me shudder. I think that's because, apart from the fact that they are often venomous and can be lightening fast, I can't read the expression on their faces. Now, if they had Ridgy Wrinkles, I might feel a bit differently ;).

Edited February 21, 2010 by Erny

[Nekhbet]

Erny hang around snakes long enough you get to know them ... I can tell when bitchy-britches is going to have a go at my hand no worries about that! If it's tense, start backing away veeeeeeery slowly ;)

[nicrowkz]

Keep up the good work snake catcher ;) Thank godness there is people like you who is willing to do a job like that!

[Erny]

Nekhbet ..... thanks for the offer, but I think I'll pass. LOL

Actually, I'm not squirmish about them if I know they can't get to me. And I have touched one - they are so sleek and surprisingly soft, I found. But it won't stop a shudder going through me.

I was a "blue tongue lizard" tom-girl in my younger years, and although it surprises me now, there was a period when I held a fascination for snakes and did a project on them. I have a more than healthy respect for them. I also used to catch field mice with my bare hands. I think I'd now be more inclined to jump up on a table - they too give me the heebies, but that was after having a plague of rats and then mice when I was younger - the stares from the rats freaked me a little, me thinks.

I'll be quite satisfied for you to give your snakey a pat on my behalf, thanks ;).

[snake catcher]

Erny hang around snakes long enough you get to know them ... I can tell when bitchy-britches is going to have a go at my hand no worries about that! If it's tense, start backing away veeeeeeery slowly

I have a few pythons and they are usually good once they are out of their enclosure.

When you feed them in their enclosure they get "cage defensive", in that they will be looking for a feed when the door opens.

I always hook mine out before touching them with my hands and they now know the routine.

Once out they are all sweethearts, water pythons included.

They and olives are the smartest of the Australian pythons.

[Starkehre]

I know all about "cage defensiveness" snake catcher ;)

I still have the scars on my hand where one of my pythons left 2 of her teeth in my hands when going me just prior to feeding time.

The funny part was that I didn't realise the teeth (or parts of) were still in my hand. Just bled like a stuck pig (as you do when you get hit by a python).

Anyway, later that week whilst away on a country run interstate, my hand starting to swell up and hurt quite a lot, and that was when I thought there may have been something left in there. So, I went a long to the GP. I told him I had a snake's tooth in my hand. Well, he looked at me stupid, and I then realised he was waiting for me to open my hand and pass him a snake's tooth. I said, "sorry, no, I mean under the skin, I was bitten"

He was not amused, but humoured me, gave me a local and started to dig around in there. I think he was extremely surprised to actually dig out 2 pieces of the teeth. He asked me if he could take them home to show his family, as it was a good conversation piece. "Sure", I said. I didn't want them. ;)

Yes, Copperheads are super quick feisty little buggers. I caught one right outside my backdoor several years ago when we lived on the property. And yes, I always use a hook to catch snakes. Hooks are smooth and put no pressure on their under belly.

And for the record, I LOVE snakes. wish I still had them as pets, but OH is not a big fan

Added, there are so many that still kill snakes, when legally and morally it is the wrong thing to do.

I think snake catcher is doing a wonderful service, and people not experienced in snake handling perhaps should not be commenting on methods they have no expertise in. Also remember everything we watch on tele has been filmed. If nothing was ever shown to us by this medium, how would we ever learn so much about wild life etc?

anyway, that is just my opinion.

Edited February 21, 2010 by dyzney

[Bilbo Baggins]

Erny hang around snakes long enough you get to know them ... I can tell when bitchy-britches is going to have a go at my hand no worries about that! If it's tense, start backing away veeeeeeery slowly

Oiii didn't you "lose' your snake a year or so ago. ;) :)

[Nekhbet]

that wasnt me Bilbo although I did leave the water python open and somehow she didnt go anywhere at all!

Call me crazy I hand feed my pythons. Got them used to feeding with tongs now I'm just lazy and dangle with my hand. Yup no hooking either, I reach in, gently touch them to make sure they're paying attention then pull them right out. Water python is a great girl too, she just lets you know she's REALLY hungry by hitting the glass with her mouth open wide if you get close open the door and she's all 'who ... me ... since you're here where's my noms'

The only python I hook is my teeny weeny one but we think he's a mix of coastal carpet x psychopath after almost 18 months you still cannot handle him and he has not grown at all ...

[kyliegirl]

I would agree that you should've just let it out of the tub then leave it be, not follow around and cause it distress to the point it was striking.

Its good it was relocated, but i really think you should have left it alone the second you released it, not follow it around and bother it more..

[snake catcher]

Added, there are so many that still kill snakes, when legally and morally it is the wrong thing to do.

I think snake catcher is doing a wonderful service, and people not experienced in snake handling perhaps should not be commenting on methods they have no expertise in. Also remember everything we watch on tele has been filmed. If nothing was ever shown to us by this medium, how would we ever learn so much about wild life etc?

anyway, that is just my opinion.

Thanks Dyzney, i appreciate the sentiment there.

Quit often, when I get called out to a snake, the snake is already in pain from being hit with a shovel, attacked by a dog or cat,

or it is caught in bird netting which is cutting into it.

Because we are a registered shelter ,we are able to keep the animals untill they have recovered from their injuries.

If the patients are to far gone they are euthanised.

The snake in the video was released after two minutes of filming and it certainly looked very healthy as it moved.

I need to see them move to make sure they are ok.

In some cases bones are broken along the back and this will affect my decision on what i do with it.

Sometimes i have to make it defensive so i can see that it is in good enough nic to be able to survive.

I wonder if the people saying the snake was distressed have seen what happens in an abbatoir,or a chicken farm,pig farm or just plain real life for that matter.

[Starkehre]

Added, there are so many that still kill snakes, when legally and morally it is the wrong thing to do.

I think snake catcher is doing a wonderful service, and people not experienced in snake handling perhaps should not be commenting on methods they have no expertise in. Also remember everything we watch on tele has been filmed. If nothing was ever shown to us by this medium, how would we ever learn so much about wild life etc?

anyway, that is just my opinion.

Thanks Dyzney, i appreciate the sentiment there.

Quit often, when I get called out to a snake, the snake is already in pain from being hit with a shovel, attacked by a dog or cat,

or it is caught in bird netting which is cutting into it.

Because we are a registered shelter ,we are able to keep the animals untill they have recovered from their injuries.

If the patients are to far gone they are euthanised.

The snake in the video was released after two minutes of filming and it certainly looked very healthy as it moved.

I need to see them move to make sure they are ok.

In some cases bones are broken along the back and this will affect my decision on what i do with it.

Sometimes i have to make it defensive so i can see that it is in good enough nic to be able to survive.

I wonder if the people saying the snake was distressed have seen what happens in an abbatoir,or a chicken farm,pig farm or just plain real life for that matter.

Upsets me no end to hear of and see people killing snakes. They are beautiful creatures, and it is heartening to see another snake lover around.

I lived on property in Langy backjing onto the quarry that had plenty of snakes around. We managed to co-habitate with them and having horses, cats, chooks and dogs and never had an issues. You need to aware and vigilent, but other than had, I was more tha happy to live with them around.

The cat bring a tiger into the bedroom one day was a bit much, but we just let it go, all good.

Yes, she appeared to be in tremendous health and definitely a great feeder.

You are very local to me now, so if I ever require your services, will send you a PM