Aidan Curtis
THE number of snake sightings around the South East was significantly reduced over summer with cooler weather having an impact.
South East Snake Awareness snake catcher David Miles said he only got called out to snake sightings around a dozen times over summer, less than half of what he normally faces.
“It’s been a very quiet year because the weather hasn’t been suitable for them,” Mr Miles said.
“ I still should be getting the odd snake or two now, but look at the weather.
“They’ve all been tigers and copperheads, no browns this year thank goodness, because we don’t need them.”
Despite a reduction in snake sightings, there were still reports of pets being bitten and, in some cases, killed by snakes, but Mr Miles said that was not too surprising.
“What happens when the snakes aren’t as active, they look for places to hide but they’re still looking for something to eat,” he said.
“Unfortunately, dogs and cats sniff them out.
“They put their heads down to sniff them, and dogs in particular get bitten on the nose, on the lips or ears.”
Mr Miles said even with fewer snakes being seen, educating people was still vital in regional areas.
“We’re not going to stop this issue with snakes, all I can do is go out and make the general public aware of what snakes are,” he said.
“Snakes don’t want to be near us, they want to get away from us.
“If I can get out and about and make people aware of what snakes are all about, then it makes things a lot better.”
