"We must achieve the character and acquire the skills to live much poorer than we do. We must waste less. We must do more for ourselves and for each other. It is either that or continue merely to think and talk about changes that we are inviting catastrophe to make. The great obstacle is simply this: the conviction that we cannot change because we are dependant on what is wrong. But that is the addict's excuse, and we know that it will not do."
—Wendell Berry

Monday, 17 September 2012

Snake summer

It looks like we will have a snake summer this year. Already had several encounters and the weather has not even warmed up yet. Had to kill a Taipan in the house yesterday. I didn't really want to but they are just too damn dangerous to muck about with. I felt quite sorry for the little fellow, he was about 120 centimetres, so not really big but unfortunately he was well and truly large enough to be lethal and I have a child in the house. So I donged him and removed him from the house.
This is a file photo.
I had other worries than taking pictures at the time!

Last week we had a red bellied black snake hanging around the back veranda. They are poisonous sure but are usually quite placid and unlikely to kill an adult but could possibly be fatal to a child. So this time I gently trapped him and released him in the rain forest at the bottom of the orchard. I thought he took it rather well actually.
I had two encounters with some largish scrub pythons in the month before. I don't mind them around though because they will keep vermin down. Once they get large enough to eat a chook I bag them up and let them go out in the bush well away from man. There are always plenty of smaller ones around to take their place.
Lastly I caught a brief glimpse of something large and fast near the chook shed last week. Don't know what it was but it does make us keep a wary eye out.
Snake summer.
Some years you hardly see one and the next you are dodging them weekly.
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1 comment:

  1. Ulf8 November 2012 at 11:20

    Postscript. That something large and fast turned out to be a large brown snake. Quite dangerous. He and I had an altercation in the compost heap and now he is compost.

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