The people of Harden have been warned of brown snakes after a local reported a sighting of a two-metre brown snake on their property on Smith Street.
With the re-emergence of snakes, it’s important to remind ourselves of safety precautions to practice during these warmer months of the year.
Less than 2.5% of snake bites are fatal and the majority of those bitten are trying to kill the snake or chase it away.
Some people are bitten while working in the garden, so ideally, you should always wear gloves, long pants and sturdy, enclosed footwear while gardening during the warmer months.
Appropriate actions will also improve the likelihood of survival if a snake bites you: First Aid is pressure and immobilisation.
Moving around causes venom to move through your lymphatic system and into your bloodstream, so stay still and get someone to apply a snake bite compression bandage and call an ambulance.
If alone, and you have to walk for a bandage or help, apply pressure to the bite site, e.g. with your hand. Better still, carry a phone and let people know where you are going. Sometimes our fear of snakes is not as much centred around the damage they can inflict on us, but rather our beloved animals.
It is recommended you don’t keep your animals food or water out in the yard as this entices snakes to holiday at your house. Keeping your grass short is also encouraged with snake’s preferred habitat being long grass.
You’re especially likely to run into the slithery creatures if located near a creek, along with the water from the creek, snakes are known to enjoy frogs as a man does steak.
If you are located near a creek make sure to keep a special eye out for snakes.
Though snakes are scary, they find us much scarier so it’s often better for each of us to ignore each other.
Unfortunately, sometimes the reality is they can’t be avoided and in this weather in this country running into a snake is inevitable.
With proper understanding of snakes they can be managed and you can carry very little fear about them, remember it’s better to be prepared than scared.
Tully Potts
