Snake Management on Private Properties in Melbourne, Australia

Abstract

The occurrence of snakes on private properties concerns many residents. Translocation of snakes by licensed wildlife controllers from private properties to public land is a common management practice in Victoria, Australia. Licensed snake controllers and first contact organizations (mainly local governments) that receive calls from those wishing to have a snake removed were surveyed via phone interview or mail questionnaire to obtain insights into the management of snakes around Melbourne and in regional Victoria. Frequently, these organizations receive snake-related calls from the public, and then connect these people to snake controllers who attempt to capture and relocate the snakes. A large number of snakes are translocated each year. Controllers chose release sites based on permit stipulations, and a suite of subjectively applied criteria such as perceived suitability of habitat and distance (both near and far) from capture site/location of residents. Most controllers used multiple release sites, although some released all snakes at a single site. The authors suggest that the scale and scope of this practice has implications for snake populations at both “donor” and release sites, and, potentially, for humans near to release sites.

Keywords:

• problem wildlife
• questionnaire
• snakes
• management

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the participants in this study. Melbourne Water generously contributed funds for this research. Simon Watharow shared his knowledge of snake management around Melbourne.The first author would like to thank Pat Whitaker, Peter Robertson, John Coventry, Jonathan Webb, Richard Shine, and Mitchell Ladyman for advice on various aspects of this work. Ian Norman, Geoff Brown, and Graeme Gillespie provided editorial direction on an early version of this article, and three nonymous referees improved an earlier manuscript. Ken Winkel provided information on the incidence of snakebite and envenomation. Wayne James provided information on Victorian snake controller's permits. The authors thank Jerry Vaske and four anonymous reviewers for providing suggestions that improved an earlier draft of this article. The Deakin University Human Research Ethics Committee granted permission for the use of questionnaire surveys.