By Abbey Cannan
Noosa snake catcher Luke Huntley has been flat out this summer relocating snakes to bush land after they have been discovered in all sorts of places in people’s homes.
Luke said that the first few months of the year always tend to be very busy.
“I have had about three to six calls a day during the past few months,” Luke said.
“September through to November is the snake breeding season and from Christmas time to early January is when snakes lay their eggs. So, January to March is always really busy as eggs are being hatched and snakes are being born.”
Luke has always had a passion for wildlife and there’s plenty to find on the northern end of the Sunshine Coast which is home to a large variation of snakes, with the most common being a carpet python.
“Tree snakes are also very common throughout the day. The most common venomous snake towards Noosa are red belly black snakes. In surrounding areas such as Cooroy, brown snakes can be found and I recommend that if you see a brown snake to stay calm and still and I will come and get it straight away. We also get some eastern small-eyes and yellow-faced whip snakes which are mildly venomous and feel like a bee sting. A lace monitor lizard is also common around people’s houses and tend to steal eggs from chicken coupes as they are highly intelligent and will keep coming back once they know where the eggs are.”
Luke has caught snakes in very strange places in houses across the northern Sunshine Coast.
“The day before Australia Day I caught a big python inside a person’s shower. Snakes can actually die of heat exhaustion and need to keep cool like us during summer so they try to find the cooler spots,” he said.
“Another strange place I caught a snake was inside a barbecue on Australia Day this year. They lifted up the lid to have their classic Australia Day barbecue but instead they were greeted with a seven-foot-long python.”
Luke said that the first thing to do if a snake is inside your house is to remain calm and give him a call to safely relocate it.
“If a snake is inside your house, remove any kids and pets from the room, close the room door and put a towel under the door… or if it is in an open space, watch the snake until I arrive so that it is easily located,” he said.
Luke recommended that if a person is on a bush walk and spots a snake, to just stand still and wait for the snake to move on.
Luke is available at all times to relocate snakes from your property, phone 0499 920 290 or to check-out his latest catches visit his Facebook page ‘Snake Catcher Noosa.’
