MP Mark Robinson Kills Snake and Posts Photo on Facebook

[Nero Egernia]

Not sure if this constitutes as reptile news, but it appears to be kicking up quite a stink on social media.

https://www.facebook.com/Goldcoastsnakecatcher/posts/930455773815953

https://www.facebook.com/MarkRobinsonMP/posts/1313398832132337?hc_location=ufi

I understand that it's an irrational fear that many people seem to have, but I wish they didn't feel that killing the so-called "aggressive" snake was the only choice they had.

EDIT: And now it's news. I'll go ahead and add the link.

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/aust...ss-snake-posts-on-facebook/ar-BBO5wC2?ocid=se

Damn, social media's scary. Once something's been posted online, it's there forever and it can have the potential to spread like wildfire.

 

[Fall guys]

It was just a keelback I think the worst part was that he A) misidentified it.
B) “promoted” killing snakes

 

[Stuart]

Facebook's heating up on it

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10155963958288240&id=7148943239

 

[dragonlover1]

Not sure if this constitutes as reptile news, but it appears to be kicking up quite a stink on social media.

https://www.facebook.com/Goldcoastsnakecatcher/posts/930455773815953

https://www.facebook.com/MarkRobinsonMP/posts/1313398832132337?hc_location=ufi

I understand that it's an irrational fear that many people seem to have, but I wish they didn't feel that killing the so-called "aggressive" snake was they only choice they had.

 

[Shaggers89]

I have already been banned twice from his facebook page when i only was asking questions that concerned the publicity of this and the negative impact it would have on our native reptiles

 

[Pauls_Pythons]

I have already been banned twice from his facebook page when i only was asking questions that concerned the publicity of this and the negative impact it would have on our native reptiles

He took his fb page off line at one stage, I haven't been back to see if its back on line.
Nothing to do with me honest. I simply asked some questions which he didn't seem too keen to answer.

 

[cris]

Think of all the innocent frogs he saved.

 

[Sdaji]

There are actually times when killing a snake is justified and the safest option, and non herpers can't be expected to identify species. I bet around 90% of members of this site couldn't identify a Keelback, so we can't expect random members of the public to have this ability.

But, this guy is a complete ball fondler. I've handled quite a few hundred Australian Keelbacks, and I can absolutely assure everyone that there is no way a Keelback is going to bail someone up in a corner of a house, striking at them and attempting to bite, or pretending to attempt to bite. They're just not that kind of snake. This elbow licking liar clearly went out of his way to kill a small snake which has a completely inoffensive nature and tried to use it to his own political advantage by making an attempt to look like a hero. First he assumed everyone else was as stupid as he is and would believe it's a Brown Snake because no one would be able to ID it, and he figured everyone would believe his story about the circumstances, then when called out about the implausible story he tried to say it was a freak event. It's nice to see the reaction he is getting.

 

[Chipewah]

I bet the only reason it struck is because he stepped or went near it and it was scarred and trying to defend itself.
I can understand why he killed it, because he thought it was a venomous snake, but to say it attacked him is highly unlikely.
At least he then went and told people to try not to kill them but that was after all the backlash he received.
Again, understandable why he did it, snake and reptile owner won't agree, but poor form posting it on Facebook with untruths.

 

[Fall guys]

He just conveniently had a tool to kill a snake

 

[Sdaji]

I bet the only reason it struck is because he stepped or went near it and it was scarred and trying to defend itself.
I can understand why he killed it, because he thought it was a venomous snake, but to say it attacked him is highly unlikely.
At least he then went and told people to try not to kill them but that was after all the backlash he received.
Again, understandable why he did it, snake and reptile owner won't agree, but poor form posting it on Facebook with untruths.

I greatly doubt it ever struck at anyone. I have literally handled hundreds of them and I think I've been struck at maybe half a dozen times (mostly while actually holding and playing with them, and a couple of times by captives I've been working with confined in tubs). I think I've been bitten twice, always by working closely with them. There is absolutely no way an Australian Keelback is going to actively approach and attack a human. Very few snakes anywhere in the world will do this and even with those few species it's unusual, and Keelbacks are absolutely not among those species, they are a small, inoffensive, timid frog-feeder. This guy is clearly lying about the snake having struck at him.

One thing I have commonly seen them do when disturbed, if they don't just flee, is frantically bounce around, sometimes literally jumping right off the ground. But when doing this they never strike (perhaps they'd rarely bite if you picked them up carelessly while they did this). Anyway, we don't need to look for a reason why it struck, we can very safely assume the story is just a complete lie.

Blazing69guy: Almost any tool often including a foot with a shoe on it is an effective tool for killing a snake. People like us don't do it, but regardless of how much we hate the idea, it's very easy to safely kill most snakes with what you have on hand in most situations, whether in the home or forest, for most people. Sure, a small percentage of the population has a sufficiently extreme level of incompetence combined with a sufficient level of stupidity to attempt to kill a snake and get bitten in the process, but the reality is that for the vast majority of people who want to do it, it's completely safe and extremely easy.

 

[Fall guys]

He’s a stubborn one! (he deleted the comments shortly after Scott made his last comment)

 

[cris]

Wow... that biased propaganda is borderline insane. I personally have no problem with someone killing a brown snake legally, in some cases it is the safest option. While I doubt it was striking, if someone is really scared of snakes they could interpret all sort of non aggressive behavior as an attack. i have had snakes try to escape by rapidly moving towards me, once even had a marsh snake go into my pocket lol. If I didn't have a clue about snake behavior this could easily been interpreted as aggressive behavior.

Being a politician there is an almost nonexistant chance he is telling the full truth. Just trying to make himself sound better and avoid saying anything that could get him in trouble.

 

[Pauls_Pythons]

At least Scott got a response even if it was pathetic.
For anyone who is not equipped & fully prepared any attempt to kill venemous snakes often end quite badly so while I don't disagree that there may be situations where killing a snake might be an option that needs to be considered someone who is inexperienced in dealing with snakes, scared and therefor not able to think 100% clearly should not be attempting this task unless they have no other option.

I prefer to be an advocate for the stand still or if you can walk away from the snake and use a phone to call someone who actually knows what they are doing

 

[RoryBreaker]

What party is this MP from? The LNP (Liberal and National party for those outside qld).

Just keep that in mind when voting at the next election. They are all tarred with the same brush. Climate change denying oxygen thieves the lot of them. Yet he lives in the bush/rural setting but is too lazy or naive to educate himself of what lives on his property.

 

[Sdaji]

What party is this MP from? The LNP (Liberal and National party for those outside qld).

Just keep that in mind when voting at the next election. They are all tarred with the same brush. Climate change denying oxygen thieves the lot of them. Yet he lives in the bush/rural setting but is too lazy or naive to educate himself of what lives on his property.

I don't care who you vote for, but basing which entire party you support on the stupid action of one individual person in that party completely unrelated to their job is as bad a way of dealing with your choice as a voter as killing a Keelback and saying it was attacking you is a bad way of dealing with a snake incident. Most people hate snakes and will be proud of killing one. This will be true of the people in all political parties. Cherry picking one incident makes no sense. We really should be basing our votes on the ability of politicians to do a good job, and the increasing trend towards voting based on irrelevant events is part of the clear political issues we are being faced with in the modern world.

 

[Yellowtail]

It's interesting to read the different points of view on this but there is one indisputable fact. Mark Robinson killed a defenceless protected native animal and should be prosecuted and fined as an example to other misguided individuals who think it is ok to do this. He admitted and boasted of his actions so there is no dispute as to the fact of his guilt.

 

[Fall guys]

It's interesting to read the different points of view on this but there is one indisputable fact. Mark Robinson killed a defenceless protected native animal and should be prosecuted and fined as an example to other misguided individuals who think it is ok to do this. He admitted and boasted of his actions so there is no dispute as to the fact of his guilt.

Very true YT, if he gets away with it, it shows how weak the government is to “safeguard” its members

 

[Sdaji]

You guys really should try to stay objective on this issue. Whether or not the snake is dangerous is legally irrelevant. If you believe a reptile poses a danger you are legally entitled to kill it. Even accounting for the lies this idiot told, he no doubt genuinely did believe it posed a danger, so it was legal.

I didn't make the laws, but the laws are what they are, regardless of whether you or I like them. Snake people keep wanting to believe that it's illegal to kill snakes and that killing them can/will result in repercussions. I don't think anyone has ever been given any form of punishment for it in Australia. For that to happen you would pretty much need a blunt statement on record that you had no doubt the snake posed no danger and you killed it simply for enjoyment, and even then it would be extremely unlikely. Indeed, people killing snakes just because they want to is a routine occurrence. It happens many thousands of times, probably hundreds of thousands of times per year in Australia, and it's often openly bragged about.

 

[Pauls_Pythons]

He's not going to be prosectuted but the impact to him by his own hand has been interesting. I saw articles in 3 on-line news papers covering this incident. Mud sticks and when you are in politics it tends to stick for a long time.