Liam McNally
Moorabool councillors have asked for a report to decide if providing a council-run snake removal service is feasible.
Moorabool councillor Rod Ward moved a motion at a council meeting on December 6 for officers to prepare a report into the cost and options for a snake catching trial in the summer of 2024-25.
“Moorabool Shire Council is the only municipality in Australia that has red bellied black snakes, eastern brown snakes, eastern tiger snakes and copperheads, all of which are highly venomous,” he said.
“Housing estates are increasingly……. encroaching into areas that were traditionally safe habitat for snakes, and it’s led to increased snake sightings… and a growing list of snake bites.
“Given a couple of well-publicised incidents recently where there was death at Nullawil of a young man who was bitten by a king brown, there was death of a 60 year old man bitten at a school reunion and there was two dogs recently bitten and who died at Taylors Lakes.
“People are under increasing cost of living pressures. Household budgets are very, very tight, and we’ve got a large number of residents in some areas of the council, in particular East Moorabool, that don’t have experience in handling snakes or avoiding snakes and with council not currently providing a snake removal service, people may be forced to take matters into their own hands exposing the high risk.”
Nearby councils that have a free snake removal service include Hume, Melton, Brimbank and Hobsons Bay.
Some councillors opposed the motion on the grounds that it would be a service that only residents in the built-up areas would use.
Councillor Tonia Dudzik said that in a rural shire, residents should expect snakes.
“Normally if there’s a snake you wait for the snake to move on, and if you don’t harass a snake, it doesn’t normally harass you,” she said.
“What’s going to be next? Are we going to have a bee removal service, a wasp removal service, possum removal service?”
Councillor Sullivan agreed with Cr Dudzik.
“Not everyone would use this service but everyone will pay for it,” he said.
