A snake catcher says “enough is enough” following an incident where a venomous snake was killed on a private property.
Stuart McKenzie from Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7 called out the act on social media, claiming the snake was killed for “absolutely no reason”.
Warning: some readers may find the content of this article disturbing
He said his team received a call to relocate a red-bellied black snake from the backyard of a home over the weekend.
According to Mr McKenzie, the team advised the resident to keep a safe distance from the snake, explaining necessary protocols and the cost involved in the relocation.
“Our catcher was 20 minutes into the drive and got within three minutes of the house when the man called to cancel as he had killed the snake himself,” Mr McKenzie’s post stated.
“The snake was not doing anything, he simply became impatient and chopped it in half.
“This was after we clearly explained to him to keep a safe distance and that our catcher was on their way.
“Our catcher arrived and devastatingly took away the slaughtered snake.”
The Facebook post attracted a slew of comments condemning the act, while others questioned the circumstances behind the killing and whether the snake may have become a safety threat prior to the catcher arriving.
Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb.
However, Mr McKenzie has claimed the resident showed “zero remorse” and he had since reported the incident to the Department of Environment and Science (DES).
“We are sick and tired of the way some members of the public treat our snakes and show little respect for our service,” he said.
“Thankfully it seems this is a small group of people, but it’s still not good enough.”
DES confirmed to Sunshine Coast News that the matter had been reported to the department but no further comment could be made at this time.
In Queensland, snakes are protected under the Nature Conservation Act. It is an offence to kill, injure or take snakes from the wild, unless the person is authorised under the Act.
According to DES, the maximum court-imposed penalty for breaching the act is $16,130.
Mr McKenzie urged the public to do their part to protect wildlife and report any indecent treatment.
“Whether you are a snake catcher, reptile lover, part of a snake ID group, volunteer, wildlife rescuer or just a member of the public, if you see someone doing the wrong thing relating to wildlife, we all have a responsibility to pull that person up and let them know the rules, or in an extreme case like this, report them.
“At Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers, we care deeply for the wellbeing of our snakes and our community, so we aren’t scared to pull people up or report them.
“We want change, and we want more available and accessible education on snake safety for the public.”
