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Snakes shy and reclusive

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

As we head into spring and the weather warms up there will be more frequent sightings of reptiles. 

WIRES is beginning to receive calls from people concerned because they have seen a snake on their property.

WIRES is a volunteer organisation with trained reptile handlers. These dedicated people are volunteers who in most cases are employed in full time jobs and rescue and care for reptiles in their own time.

• Generally snakes are shy, reclusive animals and will avoid confrontation with humans at all costs, preferring to flee if given the opportunity.
• WIRES priority is to respond to situations where reptiles are injured.
• We are unable to respond to all the calls we receive where the snake is not injured or posing an immediate risk to human safety.
• We do however give advice to callers on steps they can take to safely and humanely encourage the snake to relocate elsewhere.

Snakes have no vested interest in attacking humans, and any bite occurrences are almost exclusively a defensive response to a perceived threat. Given this fact, it is reasonable to assume that, if left alone, the risk posed by any Australian snake would be negligible.

Read more information about snakes and what to do if you find one in your house or yard and our emergency rescue advice.

Many people also mistake harmless lizards for snakes. One of the most common lizards seen

 in gardens is the Blue-tongue lizard. In the image here you can see why when only the tail is seen sometimes people mistakenly think they have seen a snake in the garden. Read more about these lizards.

Our advice if someone calls because they have seen a snake outside their home is that generally they will move on before very long.

WIRES is a volunteer organisation, not a government department and we are not government funded. Our free services are only able to be provided as result of the dedication of our volunteer rescuers and carers and the generosity of the general public who make donations