General information, not medical advice. In an emergency, call Triple Zero (000). The NSW Poisons Information Centre gives advice on bites, stings and poisons on 13 11 26.
Why they are protected
All native birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals, dingoes aside, are protected in New South Wales by the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. The environment department says snake numbers are generally declining, and lists among the likely reasons land clearing, more frequent bushfires, people taking bush rock from the bush for gardens, foxes, dogs and cats, road deaths, and “the indiscriminate killing of snakes by people who fear or dislike them”. Several snake species are listed as threatened in New South Wales.
Some of them are dangerous. About 100 Australian snakes are venomous, though only 12 are likely to inflict a wound that could kill you. In New South Wales the most dangerous belong to the front-fanged group: brown snakes, tiger snakes, death adders, the mulga (also called the king brown) and a few of the sea snakes. Even so, the department describes snakes as not naturally aggressive: they prefer to retreat, and most bites happen when people try to kill or capture them.
Not all snakes are venomous, but the children’s hospitals’ factsheet warns that it can be hard to tell them apart in the wild.
On the track
Snakes warm themselves in sunshine, on rocks and in the open space a walking track makes. The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service’s advice for meeting one:
- Tap a walking stick on the ground, so a snake feels the vibration and retreats under cover.
- If a snake is on the path, stop, walk slowly backwards and wait for it to pass. Don’t poke it or try to move it.
- At a fallen log, step onto the top and check before stepping over, in case something is sheltering on the other side.
- Check flowing water after rain: creeks can rise quickly and carry washed-in wildlife, snakes included.
- Before setting out, charge your phone, pack a first aid kit and learn how to treat a snake bite. Many national parks have patchy mobile reception.
In the garden or the house
The children’s hospitals’ factsheet lists where snakes often hide: around creeks, ponds and other water, in long grass, woodland and bush, in backyards, sheds and houses, in piles of leaf litter, and where there are frogs, reptiles, mice or rats. On the coast, snakes shelter in rock crevices and logs in cold weather and come out on warm days to soak up the sun. They will lie on warm surfaces, the environment department says, even household water heaters.
When one turns up, the department’s advice is not to try to handle or kill it, to keep children and pets well away, and to contact a licensed reptile handler or a wildlife rehabilitation group, who will remove it.
What a licensed reptile handler is
The department may issue a biodiversity conservation licence, under Part 2 of the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, that lets suitably qualified people legally catch and release reptiles, usually snakes, from homes and backyards. Handlers work under strict licence conditions for human safety and animal welfare. To apply, a handler must be at least 18, hold a current first aid certificate, have public liability insurance that lists snake handling, give two written references from experienced snake handlers, and either have finished a practical course in handling reptiles or be able to show at least 2 years’ experience with venomous snakes. Handlers who agree are listed by name and phone on the department’s list of licensed reptile handlers.
Around the yard at night, the children’s hospitals suggest a torch outside and in sheds, closed-in boots or shoes with thick socks, and care about where you walk, sit and put your hands.
If someone is bitten
Don’t wait for symptoms to appear. The NSW Poisons Information Centre’s first aid, in its own order and in our words:
- Call 000.
- Move the person away from any further danger.
- Keep them still.
- Apply a pressure bandage over the bite and the whole limb.
No running, no panicking and no tight tourniquet. Don’t wash, suck or cut the bite, and don’t try to catch the snake. If the person collapses or stops breathing, start CPR.
The bandage steps, in order from the centre’s first aid page, are in the funnel-web tray; the same technique covers bites from all Australian snakes, sea snakes included.
In hospital, the children’s hospitals’ factsheet explains, blood tests help identify which antivenom is needed, and if the snake isn’t known, the antivenom is chosen from the common snakes in the area. The factsheet says to call Triple Zero even if you are out of phone reception, and if you cannot call, to travel to the nearest emergency department. The Australian Government’s Triple Zero page adds that if there is no mobile coverage on any network, a mobile phone will not reach Triple Zero. So always try 000, and if you cannot get through, the factsheet’s advice is to go to the nearest emergency department. For questions that are not an emergency, the Poisons Information Centre is on 13 11 26.