Flaviemys purvisi
Very Well-Known Member
by GLEN PORTEOUS
18th Aug 2018
Slippery Serpents: Kris Foster with an Eastern Brown snake has been receiving more call outs due to upcoming mating season. PICTURE: Mike Richards GLA170818SNKE
SNAKES are to be respected and not feared and antagonised, is the message Kris Foster wants to get out to the general public.
The experienced snake catcher has been busy lately in the Gladstone region with the slippery serpents starting to get ready for breeding season.
"We don't really have a cold period in Gladstone, so they don't hibernate and it's coming into breeding season for females who want to fatten up for a healthy clutch of eggs," Kris said.
"They are always active and if you see a snake and want it removed, keep an eye on where it goes and call a snake catcher.
"If it's inside the house, seal it off in the room by jamming a towel across the bottom of the door."
Kris's latest call-out netted him a venomous five-foot-long Eastern Brown snake around Sun Valley Road and the breed of snake is responsible for the most deaths from snake bites in Australia.
Eastern Browns are found over most of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, and in parts of southern South Australia and isolated populations in the Northern Territory.
"Snakes can be just about anywhere, try and keep your yard tidy, leaking taps are a water source for frogs and skinks and they are a food source for snakes," Kris said.
Kris first started working with snakes from the age of 10 and in 2000 got a permit to do it as a profession.
"I find them interesting and learn a bit from them, try to keep away from them, most people get bitten by snakes because they have tried catch them," Kris said.
Anyone needing a snake removed contact Feral Trapping Solutions on 0439666102.
