Snakes alive in the suburbs

By Sarah Schwager
A CRANBOURNE woman is warning suburban residents to be extra cautious about snakes this season.
Lisa Brown lives in the suburban Brindalee Estate with her husband, David, a Maltese dog, Milo, and two cats, Mrs and Puss Puss.
Last week they found a snake on their front lawn.
“I grabbed the animals and put them inside,” Mrs Brown said.
“It’s just so lucky that one of them wasn’t bitten.”
She said she could not thank the two ladies enough who knocked on the door and warned her that the snake was there.
The snake was lying in a shady spot up against the house and Mrs Brown said it appeared to be a yellow-bellied black snake and was about a metre in length.
“We live across from a park,” she said. “What if a kid had been walking past and had got bitten.”
Mrs Brown said she was petrified during the incident.
“My husband kept an eye on it from inside to make sure it didn’t move. I didn’t know who to call,” she said.
After contacting the City of Casey for help, Mrs Brown was told to call a snake handler.
She said she was furious that council did not provide a free service.
“The snake handlers were charging between $90 and $140 to remove the snake. I couldn’t believe they expect people to pay to get rid of a snake. Our rates should cover that.”
All snakes in Australia are protected and it is illegal to kill them in most circumstances.
Mrs Brown warned other residents to be extra cautious as there could be more snakes around.
Casey’s acting administration manager Jarrod Doake said the State Government Department of Sustainability and Environment was the responsible authority for the management of snakes.
However, he said the City of Casey did provide support to residents by providing contact details of specialist snake handlers who could assist with the removal of snakes.
“The City of Casey website also has a page which has information for residents if they sight a snake in close proximity to their residence,” Mr Doake said.
“The information available also recommends how residents can reduce the likelihood of a snake entering their property.”