# Penalties for killing a snake ever enforced?!



## happynagini (Dec 11, 2013)

Hello everyone,

It is that time of year again when we all start to see photos of dead native elapids popping up in our Facebook news feeds, accompanied with a spiel on how the killed has done society a huge favour by killing a brown/red belly/tiger snake today.

My question is, does anybody ever hear of people actually being charged for doing so?! As we all know native Australian species are protected and it is a criminal offence to kill any. I have never heard of such thing happening and couldn't really find much evidence through a google search.


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## MesseNoire (Dec 11, 2013)

It's rarely enforced if ever.
Unfortunately organisations like RSPCA have "better" things to do like taking people's money than care for our native fauna.


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## Rlpreston (Dec 11, 2013)

I would think, since it is legally acceptable to kill a snake if you believe your life is in danger, most people would get any charges dropped on those grounds. Authorities would just be wasting resources and money chasing this up.

It would be easy for anyone accused to say "well it came toward me /my kid/ my mum". All they would have to do is 'believe' their life is in danger. Even a python/colubrid could be mistaken by many as dangerously venomous and so killed legally for being a perceived threat.


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## $NaKe PiMp (Dec 12, 2013)

this is a massive problem in Australia,facebook and newspapers are inundated with pictures of people holding up the dead snake they freely admit to killing and in a cruel manner or newspaper gloating over someone killing a Taipan which is quite clearly not a Taipan but a friggen brown tree snake,and as we all know who actually deal with snakes this is never necessary and the majority of the time its a red bellied black or a keelback or perhaps a golden crowned snake,species which have never killed a human or are harmless.
To say they where attacked by the creature is absurd.
If enough people contact there authorities they can do something,we all sit back and say no one ever does anything,but if there is proof and enough people complain something has to be done.
we all know if less people killed snakes there would be less people bitten.
I am nursing a Black snake back to health at monment that was clubbed in the back with a shovel,nobody knew anything at the scene,it was just "hanging around" which suprise suprise was because idiot had hit it with a shovel and it couldnt go anywhere being so injured.


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## andynic07 (Dec 12, 2013)

$NaKe PiMp said:


> this is a massive problem in Australia,facebook and newspapers are inundated with pictures of people holding up the dead snake they freely admit to killing and in a cruel manner or newspaper gloating over someone killing a Taipan which is quite clearly not a Taipan but a friggen brown tree snake,and as we all know who actually deal with snakes this is never necessary and the majority of the time its a red bellied black or a keelback or perhaps a golden crowned snake,species which have never killed a human or are harmless.
> To say they where attacked by the creature is absurd.
> If enough people contact there authorities they can do something,we all sit back and say no one ever does anything,but if there is proof and enough people complain something has to be done.
> we all know if less people killed snakes there would be less people bitten.
> I am nursing a Black snake back to health at monment that was clubbed in the back with a shovel,nobody knew anything at the scene,it was just "hanging around" which suprise suprise was because idiot had hit it with a shovel and it couldnt go anywhere being so injured.


I think education is more crucial that punishment in this fight. As said by Riperston it is all too easy for people to plead self defence to something like this but if I ever see any sort of cruel act on Facebook I always try to educate the people and anyone else who comments praising the actions. It is also a hard point to push that the snakes won't hurt you or come after you if you leave them alone when most of Australia is proudly boasting that we have a large percentage of the DEADLIEST snakes in the world and some of the most venomous snakes as well. The word deadliest being used a lot will breed fear into people and that is why people act like they do, they see a deadly animal and kill it. This to me is why education is a lot more important that punishment.


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## raycam01_au (Dec 12, 2013)

i'd just rather punch them in the throat and hit them on the head with a shovel,


just saying


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## wokka (Dec 12, 2013)

Unfortunately the government is driven by poitical outcomes and so most problems are seen to be solved by making a rule which often has little effect on the desired outcome.The prohibition on killing Australian snakes probably has about as much influence as licencing of reptile keepers does on wild reptile population of reptiles. With or without the legislation the effect of killing wild animals or taking them for captivity has a negligable effect on wild population.The rules have political benefits to politicians and associated beaurocacies and not any sustainable benefit to wild animals!


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## Wild~Touch (Dec 12, 2013)

I'd like to see the reaction if someone bashed a cat to death and held it up by the tail then show off the pic on feacesbook

Double standards I say

Reptile keepers must remain calm (on the surface) and try to educate the snake haters and fearmongers


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## Umbral (Dec 12, 2013)

Wild~Touch said:


> I'd like to see the reaction if someone bashed a cat to death and held it up by the tail then show off the pic on feacesbook
> 
> Double standards I say
> 
> Reptile keepers must remain calm (on the surface) and try to educate the snake haters and fearmongers


It would be an interesting argument killing a cat that was killing natives. It's illegal for humans to do it so why shouldn't we kill pests that were introduced for doing it.


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## moosenoose (Dec 12, 2013)

Everyone is a hero if you kill a snake.

I repeatedly tell people it's the sign of small testicles  They love the compliment 

If someone kills a snake, nobody could care less.

If I remove a snake (in other words; save one from ending up on the blade of a shovel) and I'm unlicensed (and goodness me, I'd never do that :lol all hell would break loose and the full weight of the law thrown at me. Double standards...you bet ya!


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## vampstorso (Dec 13, 2013)

I always take screenshots and send them to our fauna authorities.
Same for ads on gumtree that appear to be wild caught reps or birds, 
Sometimes it goes better than others


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## frankie27 (Dec 13, 2013)

no im always hearing my fellow peers brag about how they kill snakes and how its "so cool" and they're "helping the world", yet when they found out i fed my snake (Stimson python- Frankie) defrosted mice they got angry and sad. i cant believe how hypocritical some people are. the worst bit is most of the time they tell me and show me pictures of snakes they killed just to get under my skin. but what can we do? they'll never change


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## longqi (Dec 13, 2013)

Education does work
We get lots of calls that only came because we taught kids about snakes
When a snake turns up they make their parents call us

Maybe if prosecutors thought outside the square they could get convictions??
Drunk drivers kill how many each year?
Possibly compare that in court?
"you killed a snake because you were in fear of your life??"
"yet you let a drunk get in a car and drive home??"
A policeman has a gun?
He has the potential ability to kill you??
Yet you dont go out trying to hunt down policemen??


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## pinefamily (Dec 13, 2013)

The same argument can be applied to cats and dogs roaming. If our dog got out, there would be calls to the local council, complaints, etc. Yet if a cat roams into our front yard (as it does quite regularly), we are not meant to do a thing. 
Cats enter our yard at their peril......


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## ronhalling (Dec 13, 2013)

In reality trying to get prosecution of snake killers is a mute point until the rangers decide the want to do it, which from what i have seen is never, Here is a perfect example: there is a little pond here in Port called the Duck pond where parents of young kids take them to feed the ducks, on 1 particular morning we were driving past when we seen 1 of the mums going psyco and 1 of the dads run across the road to 1 of the houses, i pulled up to see what the commotion was all about just in time to see the dad come running back across the road with a shovel and start whacking at the ground, unfortunately i could not get there quick enough and when i got on the scene i saw a juvenile RBB cut up into 4 pieces, i was shocked and asked him why he did it, his answer "it was a snake and the only good snake is a dead 1 and this 1 was not going to grow up and make more of them" I told him it was nowhere near them (about 30m away) he responded "and now it is not going to get any nearer" the worse part of all was a council ranger was standing about 15 feet away putting up a sign about not feeding the ducks, i asked him was he going to do something about the snake killer and his response was "what do you expect me to do about it, it's got nothing to do with me". If we can't get the officials to do their job (even after seeing it happen) what chance have we got to get Joe and Jill Citizen to do the right thing. IMHO the only way to educate these morons is through their children, seems a half arsed way to do things though.  ................................Ron


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## Snake Catcher Victoria (Dec 14, 2013)

RSPCA in Victoria wont have anything to do with native animals as it the job of the DSE to enforce it. 
The DSE say they will act but there must be a mountain of hard evidence before any action is taken.
Documented good evindence of the crime is very hard and most social media pic are not enough by themselves.
Video, witnesses, a body of the snake, times, dates, locations ect ect.


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## ronhalling (Dec 14, 2013)

Trouble is Barry then you hit the wall of "i don't want to get involved" if and when it ever becomes a court matter, or "sorry can't get the time off work" the Sheriff or Chamber Magistrate won't issue a Subpoena for something as petty as wildlife offenses unless it is a big high profile smuggling case for which they will fall over themselves to get some limelight or air wave time. It sux for our Reptilian friends that we can't do more for them than educating the ignorant adults or be lucky enough to be able to educate the kids before the family Snake bigotry is passed on to them. Damn, sorry if i seem to be ranting a little over this subject, i just feel very passionate about it.  ........................Ron


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## miss_mosher (Dec 14, 2013)

Every time I upload a picture of one of my scale babies on Facebook, some douchebag has to comment 'the only good snake is a dead one.' 
I can almost feel my brain cells evaporate from my head every time someone says that. Thank god for the delete option.


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## MathersD (Dec 14, 2013)

The true and only answer is education . This will be left to us " Reptile enthusiasts" . If clubs from all states had to take a few of there snakes as a group and every Saterday go to a new venue and teach people . Of course you would need one or two snake catchers to hand out cards . This would not be to make money but to help the creatures we care for . It would take time away from our family but as is always the case prevention is better than cure .people are naturally curious and once educated on how docile and how important they are to the eco system .perhaps they would respond different . They may not love them but will know who to call . Cheers .

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Tapatalk


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## Snake Catcher Victoria (Dec 14, 2013)

I love it when they come on my Facebook page and say that Miss Mosher. 

It is an opportunity for me to make all the points that I think are valid and relevant while at the same time making the redneck 
look like an absolute loser.

Use the opportunity to make your opinions heard, don't get mad and let emotion make you say silly things.

Anyone is welcome to come and have an opinion on my page, haters and lovers or snakes can and do say what ever they like but at the end of the day, its only facebook, and the only thing we can really do is keep on showing the scared an ignorant that snakes are not as bad as they have been made out to be. 

I know Im not the only one that gets a warm fuzzy feeling when someone who once hated snakes looks at you and says that they been turned around on the subject, or that they wont kill snakes anymore or anything positive like that

- - - Updated - - -

My facebook page for anyone interested is 

"Snake Catcher Victoria Australia"


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## pinefamily (Dec 14, 2013)

Get ready to get all warm and fuzzy ssssnakeman. When I brought up the subject of a snake about 13 years ago my wife said it was her or the snake. About 6 months ago she said yes to a snake from a broken home. Now we have 8, lol. Btw 13 years ago we got a beardie instead. 

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk


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## cagey (Dec 14, 2013)

I have found two blue tongues that have been run over in my local streets. No excuse as it is a low speed area. Would live to have been able to report them.


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## Jimie (Dec 14, 2013)

i myself have been brought up with the notion of the only good snake is a dead snake and have been present when my grandfather and my dad have killed them knowing what i know now that they are so misunderstood i wish that i could go back and stop it, fortunately i can stop my children and teach them the right way i personally think that the best way is to educate people unfortunately there will always be some whom will just kill for the sake of killing but if we reach out and teach just one person they may just teach others like i now do it's the only way i was reformed i now own 10 and have a clutch in the oven baking as we speak and have no intent to stop acquiring more as they are an absolute joy to keep and are just as good at being educational for my kids as they are for all of their friends


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## KingSirloin (Dec 14, 2013)




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## champagne (Dec 14, 2013)

I think habitat destruction and feral pests would have a much big affect on the wild snake population. The red necks cat would kill more reptiles then the red neck. Getting a conviction would be very hard, that is why they don't waste the time and money.


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## ellab1ack (Dec 16, 2013)

We have a beautiful visitor here, about twice a year I see 'her' around , she swings by for a drink etc, last time I saw her I put my cats away and noticed she had a nice belly full. Then about 4 days later I heard that neighbouring block had seen a massive snake in their yard and killed it, I am so hoping it isn't her as she was a gorgeous coastal but I think that my wishing may be in vain. Such morons. 


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## FusionMorelia (Dec 16, 2013)

i feel the few snake killers each season vastly pales in comparison to what cats (both feral and domesticated) do all year round.


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## Maxwell (Dec 16, 2013)

We recently had a brown (1 meter long) decide to make living under our office at work its new home, Many of times people have been scared by it out sunning. And even it decided to try and sneak under the door to introduce itself. 

After a few guys deciding to kill it, I showed them how easy it was to relocate it by using a sack and a very long stick!

The local snake guys were more then happy to find it a new home.


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