Sea eagle snags snake supper as catchers issue summer warning

A Queensland snake catcher has predicted how crazy the coming snake season will be after a photographer captured stunning and rare photos of a bird snagging a giant sea snake.

Sunshine Coast photographer Glen Vidler snapped the amazing pictures as the white-bellied sea eagle took the snake in its claws straight from the ocean.

“A once in a lifetime picture for me,” Mr Vidler said.

The picture taken was taken at Point Arkwright, just south of Coolum Beach, last week.

“I was there for five minutes at the Turtledeck lookout when this happened,” Mr Vidler said.

“I’ve never seen a huge catch like this before, so I felt very lucky.”

Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers’ Daniel Rumsey said the start of snake season had already been “crazy busy”.

“The snake season is here, and the team has experienced one of the busiest weeks on record.” he said.

“It’s been wild these past two weeks. Similar figures to what we’d normally see in our busiest time of year, which is usually February.”

The heat has been turned up in more ways than one as Australia prepares for slithery* season.

“It’s gotten really warm, really quickly,” Mr Rumsey said. “As we know, the sun activates movement with snakes. But it’s also crazy because this time of year is for mating*.

“The male snakes will venture further than usual looking for a female mate or multiple female mates.”

The experienced snake catcher said the company had not received reports of any people being bitten yet, nor had been told of any pet deaths from snake bites.

But wherever you are in Australia, the professional advice is the same.

“As always, if you see a snake, please don’t approach it,” Mr Rumsey said.

“Give yourself distance. Snakes will only try to defend themselves if cornered or approached.

“If it’s in your home or backyard please call a snake catcher or licenced professional.

“If bitten, treat it seriously and seek first aid and medical treatment.”

Despite the unprecedented* rise in snake numbers the past two weeks, Mr Rumsey said it was nothing to be concerned about.

“No one has to worry yet. It will naturally fluctuate*,” he said.

“When it gets too hot, they actually don’t need to be out in the sun as long. The hottest day last week was our quietest day, actually.

“We’re also not seeing heaps of night activity as it’s still quite cool then. That will start to ramp up and we’ll see more nocturnal activity heading into summer.”

The team at Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers has already had some wild encounters this year, with snakes sighted in unusual locations including on top of a toilet roll as well as coiled around a traffic light at a busy Maroochydore intersection.

Luke Huntley of Snake Catcher Noosa recorded the catch of his life, when he pulled a red-bellied black snake from a $400k Ferrari California at Noosa Waters.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• slithery: slides easily over things and refers here to snake season
• unprecedented: something that has never happened before
• fluctuate: changes constantly, regularly rises and falls
• encounters: experiences, especially coming upon something suddenly or unexpectedly

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QUICK QUIZ

1. What kind of bird snagged the sea snake in its claws?
2. Where was a snake found in Maroochydore?
3. What was the catch of snake catcher Luke Huntley’s career?
4. What are three things you should do if you come across a snake?
5. Where was the photographer when he captured the amazing catch?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Find a catcher!
What qualities and qualifications do you think a professional snake catcher would need? Think about it. Now write a job advertisement for a new snake catcher for Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers.

Time: allow at least 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social Capability

2. Extension
Write the story of Luke Huntley’s catch from the point of view of the snake.

Time: allow at least 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English

VCOP ACTIVITY
Beware of snakes
Discuss with a partner what we should do as humans in an environment that might naturally contain snakes. Make a few notes of important ideas.

Next, create a poster for the local reserve to warm visitors of potential snakes. Make the poster eye-catching. But also include some important facts to consider that will ensure both snakes and humans stay safe.