Snake season sense

SNAKE sightings at local beaches and in domestic backyards have spiked in the recent hot weather.

Tweed Shire Council maintains up-to-date information, warnings, and tips for encountering a snake, including first aid and removal assistance.

In the north coast NSW region, it is essential to understand basic first aid and to know who to call if a snake is in a difficult location, such as inside a home.

Brown snakes and other varieties are common in the Tweed Shire and are particularly active in warm spring months.

The shire urges the community to practice extra caution each season when walking through snake habitats such as fields, highly vegetated gardens, and native areas such as rainforests and beach tracks.

General tips if encountering a snake include leaving them alone with as much space as possible to move on. Most snakebites occur when people try to catch or kill a snake. They usually only attack when threatened, and it is advisable to treat all snakes as if they were venomous.

Precautions around the home to reduce snake activity include decluttering the back yard of overgrowth and refuse, keeping grassy areas maintained and lawns short. Animal owners should clean aviaries, dog kennels, poultry pens and food areas that attract mice.

Keeping doors closed and sealing gaps in doorways and walls will help reduce snakes entering the home.

The most common snakes in the Tweed Shire include the coastal carpet python, the brown tree snake, the green tree snake, the yellow-faced whipsnake and the eastern brown snake.

Tweed Valley Wildlife Carers are available 24 hours a day on 02 6672 4789 for advice and will request a modest donation for relocation if required.

For more advice about snakes and snake identification information, head to brnw.ch/21wMfVJ