By Olivia Condous
With warmer weather approaching, Melton and Moorabool residents are being urged to take precautionary measures to minimise incidents with snakes.
Snake season officially begins in Spring, when snakes emerge from winter hibernation as the temperatures warm up.
Jarrod Bingham, a former Moorabool councillor and professional snake catcher, has worked in the Melton and Moorabool region for many years and urged residents to recall common safety measures after two years of lockdown.
“During COVID, we were in lockdown for a number of years, now we’re getting some of that freedom back and people just need to remember that we do live in an environment where there are snakes,” he said.
Mr Bingham advised that when Spring arrives, residents can prevent snake encounters by mowing their lawns, clearing rubbish piles, trimming trees and bushes in order to mitigate hiding places.
He recommended that residents also be vigilant in keeping doors to the home shut during the hotter months, as when the temperature reaches above thirty degrees, snakes may seek shade inside.
“I have just over 1000 jobs a year and a good 20 per cent of those are inside [the home] because people ve left the door open,” Mr Bingham said.
The snake catcher stated that as long as residents remained vigilant with precautions and stayed away from any snakes, they would be able to avoid injuries.
“All snakes are just as placid as each other, snakes are never ever aggressive, they are always just reacting or defensive,” he said.
Melton council offers a free snake removal program which covers snake catcher fees for residents, available by calling 9747 7200.
The Moorabool Shire council refers residents to call the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning to receive a list of local snake catchers, on 136 186.
