Snake Adoption at Wiruna

ASNSW Chief Conservationist, Mr Col McMickle has spent the past year working with native wildlife, most notably the Eastern Grey Kangaroos he has trained as Nagler carriers (See Alternate Universe, April 2000 edition).

In the course of his study, Col has noted that some native animal species can become stressed when larger than usual crowds frequent the grounds of Wiruna, particularly Elapid Snakes, which can become unusually shy and retiring.

Accordingly, during the New-Moon weekend in February 2002, Col experimented by coaxing a snake to take refuge under the snug and dry canvas floor of his tent and established that the creature seemed to enjoy the experience. Being careful and safety-conscious, Col selected an Eastern Brown snake for this exercise, as, although it ranks among the top three deadly snakes in this country, it's fangs are relatively small, relying on venom quality rather than quantity to deliver a lethal dose, and consequently it would have difficulty in piercing the canvas floor.

If you are a little timid, Col would advise you to stick with Eastern Browns, or Red-Bellied Black Snakes, and to generally avoid the Death Adders, Tiger Snakes, Copperheads, or King Browns that frequent the area, as these generally have longer fangs. He also suggests you not try to pat the snake, as when he tried this, the animal took fright and slithered out from under his tent.