Catching snakes is a dangerous business, but expert handler Stuart McKenzie says wrangling lizards is something else entirely.
The owner of Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7 is renowned for bagging venomous intruders, including infamous brown snakes and red-bellied black snakes.
As previously reported by Sunshine Coast News, he and his team are even the focus of a television series, Aussie Snake Wranglers, on National Geographic.
But catching and relocating big lizards is “certainly different.”
Goannas are particularly dangerous.
“I call them the ‘Triple Threat,” he said.
“They’ve got a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth. If they were to latch on to you, they would cut through you like a butter knife.
“Then, they’ve got sharp claws.
“Then, they’ve got their tail, which they can always whip you with if they feel defensive.”
Tree goannas, also known as lace monitors, can be more than 2m long and 14kg heavy.
“There’s certainly a few factors to deal with when you’re trying to catch them,” he said.
When Mr McKenzie was confronted by three goannas in one call-out at Palmwoods last week, he knew he had his work cut out for him.
He was called out to catch one and got more than he bargained for.
A video on the business’ Facebook page showed the drama that ensued.
“There were two that were unexpected,” he said.
“(The property owner) told us there was a goanna in the chicken coop … and as I walked over to the coop, there was another big one sitting near it,” Mr McKenzie said.
The bigger one was just outside the coop so Mr McKenzie raced after it, but it scampered up a tree.
He returned to the smaller one in the coop and managed to grasp it.
“You’ve got to secure them behind the neck and on their tail, or else they will get away,” he said.
“And they’re pretty grumpy, when you grab them by the head.”
Mr McKenzie said goannas can be especially tough to catch.
“As you can see in the video, they need to be in a confined area for you to be able to catch them, or you need to be pretty lucky, because otherwise they go straight up a tree.”
“They’re unbelievable climbers.”
After taking the smaller goanna out of the coop, he saw a goanna close by and he tried to chase it, to no avail.
“I was walking back to the car, and I saw something move in the garden. It was another one and it was even quicker than the first,” he said.
Mr McKenzie said only one or two per cent of all the business’ callouts were for goannas and other lizards, like the more placid blue tongue lizard and water dragon.
“We’ve had a few lately though,” he said.
“All reptiles have come out of the breeding season, in spring, and are now moving around trying to find food.
“The big goannas we have caught lately have been hanging around chicken coops.”
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He said they caught more goannas this summer compared to previous summers.
“But that doesn’t mean there is more goannas,” he said.
“There are more chicken coops because there are more houses, so there’s more food sources for the goannas. They are getting braver and braver at entering backyards and finding the coops.”
He urged residents to take precautions against goannas and to be wary around them.
“Make sure your chicken coops are goanna and snake proof and don’t try and approach them or catch them.”
