Keep calm: Tiger snakes, which are common in the Goulburn Valley, birth live snakelets rather than laying eggs.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Highly venomous snakelets will soon slither into life across the Goulburn Valley.
Baby snakes will be on the move in the Goulburn Valley for the next couple of months, and with no guidance from a slithery parent, they will explore their new environment solo while seeking shelter from predators.
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Snake catcher Tania Corby of Goulburn Valley Reptile Removals said although infant snakes had small venom glands and fangs, their bite was just as dangerous as their parents.
Victoria is home to some of the most venomous snakes in the world.
“People have certainly died of infant snake bites,” she said.
“That’s why it’s really important to have snake bandages, one at the front door and one at the back door.”
Love and care: Snake catcher Tania Corby keeps various species of snakes as pets and says all snakes should be treated with kindness. Image: Luke Hemer, 2017.
On a hot day, snakes of all sizes will seek out a cool spot to beat the heat.
The quiet places snakes choose to hang out around the house hold no surprises for an experienced snake catcher like Ms Corby.
This season was no exception.
“I had a three-foot brown curled up in a drawer in the lounge room of a lady near Echuca — she opened it, went ‘Oh my god’ and shut it again,” Ms Corby said of a recent job.
“What people don’t understand about snakes is they don’t like it when it’s really hot, so they try to get inside to enjoy your aircon.
“You want to block it coming in, so don’t leave any gaps under doors.”
Lethal power: One of Tania’s inland taipans, the most venomous snake species in the world.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Ms Corby said a rolled up towel wedged against the bottom of a door was a simple solution to this problem and it was best to keep a neat garden with minimal ground cover to help reduce the likelihood of an unexpected encounter in the shade outside.
“I would rather a snake in my backyard than a thousand mice in my house,” she said.
While they suffer in extreme heat, the sun's warmth plays a large part in keeping a snake’s body at the ideal temperature, and sometimes they choose an inconvenient location to bake.
“I recently had a beautiful big brown on the BMX track in Shepparton, on the cement where they ride their bikes,” Ms Corby said.
“The kids were great, they stayed there and watched it until I got there.”
Cuddles: A non-venomous baby python is one of the newest additions to Ms Corby’s snake family.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Ms Corby recommended keeping a close watch walking in the Goulburn Valley in coming weeks.
“Look at the path, not your destination,” she said.
“If you see a snake, just be relaxed. You don’t need to panic.
“They’re not going to jump up and bite you for no reason ... There really is no such thing as an aggressive snake, there’s a defensive snake.
“They don’t wake up in the morning and go, ”I’m going to scare as many people as I can today’.“
Chilling out: a jungle python called Dusty.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
In 2018, a tiger snake bit Ms Corby on the thumb and she was flown to hospital for emergency treatment.
She told the Riverine Herald at the time it was “the most excruciating pain she had ever known“, and it was her fault, not the snake’s.
The incident did nothing to harm her passion for the often-feared reptiles.
Ms Corby has always loved snakes and trained to become a snake catcher out of a desire to safely remove unwanted slithery visitors from her property.
She keeps seven as pets, including two inland taipans — the deadliest snake species in the world — called Romeo and Juliet after the infamous “toxic love relationship”.
Hissing hello: Tania Corby’s eastern brown snake, James, has a look at his owner through the glass.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Next are sibling tiger snakes, Terry and Lucy, an eastern brown named James, a jungle python called Dusty and a beloved 3m morelia bredli python, Willow.
“They’re my kids, they’ve never, ever tried to bite me,” Ms Corby said.
“You’ve gotta handle wild animals with calm and good intent.”
Not only is killing or injuring a snake illegal and harmful for the environment, the act of doing so also increases the likelihood of being bitten by 80 per cent, according to Ms Corby.
“Be kind to snakes. They’re here for a reason,” she said.
