An ACT snake catcher has brought some venomous reptiles to meet their local politicians in a bid to encourage education and protection for the species.
The snakes were invited to the ACT Legislative Assembly by Labor MLA Marisa Paterson, who is moving a motion calling on the government to do more to protect snakes, educate the community and implement important changes to legislation around snake handling.
Gavin Smith is an Associate Professor at Australian National University as well as a snake catcher, and is one of only a handful of people in the capital licensed to handle venomous snakes.
This year alone he has caught, removed and released around 170 snakes that have slithered into suburbia.
It is a challenging task in itself, compounded by the 30-year-old Animal Welfare Act which considers the snake catchers "unlicensed carers" and affords them just two days with injured snakes.
Dr Smith said snakes were a particularly persecuted species in the capital and the majority of the reptiles he caught were injured, including from being "whacked".
"About 70 per cent of the snakes I catch in Canberra – that I put in a tube and look at in close detail – have sustained an injury in the course of their lives," he said.
"Many have evidence of previous injuries or current injuries as a result of being harmed by the various threats they face each day above ground.
"[It's a] very persecuted animal, an animal under a lot of pressure and threat, and yet an animal that we need to have a balanced ecosystem."
Many vet clinics do not allow venomous snakes
Dr Smith said the current time frame to give care to venomous snakes sees most injured snakes let loose without proper veterinary treatment.
Under the current Animal Welfare Act, after 48 hours the reptile must be released, euthanased, or taken to a vet — but Dr Smith said many clinics did not allow venomous snakes on the premises, particularly eastern brown snakes.
"A lot of the vets in Canberra … will not see brown snakes because of the fact they are highly venomous," he said.
"Unfortunately, a lot of eastern brown snakes under the current legislation are injured with things that can be treated and healed, but are having to be released or euthanased before that treatment is given because I'm not lawfully allowed to do that."
Dr Smith said with his skills and experience he should be able to administer that care under veterinary supervision, and Ms Paterson agrees.
"Today's motion is really a celebration of the work that [snake catchers are] doing, and to look at changes to some of the regulations to assist them in their job," she said.
"Under current regulation, they can keep [injured venomous snakes] for 48 hours, but that often isn't long enough to implement the sort of veterinary treatment that's needed.
"Changes to the regulation are needed so that these snakes can receive the care that they need."
Need for increased education and protections
Along with letting people licensed to handle venomous snakes keep them longer to provide care, the motion also calls for better education about the native creatures.
Ms Paterson said snakes were an important part of the local food chain, and a fear of them was no reason to cause them harm.
"Snakes are essential to maintaining a healthy biodiversity in our environment," she said.
"I am concerned about the level of fear of snakes in our community and reports that snakes are being brutalised by people or dogs because people just do not understand how to live alongside these native reptiles."
Snake catchers do most of the education work in the community, but under the current legislation, they can not keep venomous snakes for educational purposes.
This has seen snakes being flown in from interstate for training courses that educate Canberrans on the dangers of locally occurring snakes and how to be safe around them.
The motion calls on the ACT to consider ways to better allow trained and licensed professionals to keep native snakes for the purposes of education.
Dr Smith said educating the community on its local snakes was essential to allow people to co-exist with the reptiles in a way that caused neither harm.
"It is important for snakes to be respected and cared for, like they have been for thousands of years by the Ngunnawal peoples," he said.
"As Canberra grows in population, it is essential that the community understand how to live alongside our native snakes in a respectful and safe way.
"In my work both as a researcher and a snake catcher, it is increasingly apparent how essential it is for more to be done both in regard to education of the community and care of snakes when they are injured."
