In my first post about snakes I explained that the Brisbane area has eight snakes that can kill. Nationwide though, Australia has around 140 different species of snake of which 12 can kill. We have another 30 or so sea snakes. So, it’s worse than you thought right?
Wrong!
According to my research, there have been 41 snakebite deaths since 1980 in Australia. The King Brown or brown snake is believed to have been involved in 24 of those deaths.
King Brown Snake
The Tiger Snake is responsible for 8 and the Death Adder, Rough Scaled Snake and Taipan are responsible for the rest.
Some facts:
- Australian snakes are very shy and timid. They would rather move away from a human, not towards one.
- Australia’s snakes rarely envenom when biting defensively. Envenomation occurs in less than 1 in 10 bites. They prefer to hit you with a warning.
- There are no documented fatalities in Australia from sea snake bite.
More scary than snakes.
- More than 20 people die each year in Australia from horse riding related accidents. Less than 2 a year die from a snakebite.
- The deadliest of all Australian creatures, responsible for an average of 10 deaths per year, is the European Honey Bee, which can induce anaphylactic shock in some people.
- The same happens in the UK, where there are an estimated 10 deaths a year attributed to wasp or bee stings.
- About 30-60 people are struck by lightning each year in Britain and, on average, 3 of those may die.
- Scuba diving causes 8 deaths a year here in Australia.
- Don’t even get me started on road traffic deaths!
So, you are statistically more likely to die going horse riding or scuba-diving, by being struck by lightning or stung by a bee or wasp or by simply getting about in a car.
Prevention
Of those 41 deaths, it is estimated that over half of them occurred because the victim accidentally trod on the snake. Ways to prevent that from happening include wearing proper footwear when walking in the grass, using a torch at night, being a noisy walker and of course, watching where you tread.
About another eight of those deaths occurred because the victim was handling the snake. They either picked it up thinking it was harmless, or they work with snakes. Prevention: Don’t pick up snakes, but I’m sure you didn’t need me to work that out for you.
Probably another five deaths were due to the victims attempt to kill the snake. Prevention: Running away is always the better option. If it’s in the house, which would be rare, simply close the door to the room it is in or close all the doors and leave the house. Then phone a snake catcher.
That only leaves about five or six deaths which were probably unavoidable. And unpreventable.
It is also worth mentioning that alcohol consumption plays a big part in your chances of being killed by a snake. A high percentage of those killed had been drinking. Prevention: I can’t think of one.
Yes, Australia is home to some of the world’s most deadly snakes. But they are also some of the world’s most timid snakes. The worst countries in the world for snake deaths are Sri Lanka and India, followed by South Africa, Africa and then the USA. Yes, the USA has a higher death rate from snake bites per year than Australia. If you have ever travelled to America, has anyone ever said to you “oh my God! What about the snakes?”
I don’t think so.
I think we have been born to be scared of snakes. It has somehow been built into our collective conscious. But the facts don’t back it up. I have been watching an interesting programme called “The Snake Crusader with Bruce George”. He rides around on his Harley Davidson catching snakes and returning them to their natural environment. He loves them, and I’m beginning to like them too. They are beautiful creatures.
The thing is, he can go and capture a snake, pick it up (skilfully of course), place it in a cloth bag and eventually take it into the wild to be released. One would have thought the snake had been through a traumatic time and may well be feeling quite angry and aggressive.
But no!
When he takes them out off the cloth bag and places them on the ground, they just slowly glide away from him heading straight back into the bush. He swears some of them turn back to look at him as if to say “thanks mate” for being returned back home. They show no aggression at all.
There was an interesting quote on the show from Bruce himself. He said “Snakes don’t bite – people get bitten.”
By and large, he’s probably right.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I have known Bruce George for many years and just to reinforce what you said about this bloke, he is very genuine in what he does with snake rescues. You only have to see how he goes about the ones he cares for at home to understand how much he really cares. The show was an opportuntiy to show people that snakes are not that scary.
I am not surprised by what you say, Bruce comes across as the real deal on TV too, a genuine bloke who really does care. And if what he wants to achieve is to show people that snakes are not scary, he’s doing a great job!
It is thanks to the work of people like Bruce that people like me become interested in snakes, want to know more about snakes and start to appreciate the beauty of snakes. When we know about snakes and understand them, we have no reason to fear them.
I have only seen one snake in the wild since I’ve been here in Australia, just one in two years, and that was in the botanical Gardens. It was only a little carpet snake and I was fortunate enough to be with my mate Ben who loves all wildlife including snakes. It was him who noticed it and called me over to take a closer look. We just looked and admired it.
It’s far more enjoyable than freaking out!
I hope Bruce does some more shows, I want to learn more, like how do you pick them up like that?
Cheers
Bob
I’ve just stumbled across your blog, particularly your posts on snakes…I’m a 16 year old girl who is fascinated by these creatures (I actually keep reptiles – currently have 2 central bearded dragons and 2 Centralian Pythons) It’s refreshing to find someone who’s take on snakes isn’t “KILL KILL KILL”. I often get people purposefully trying to stir me up with “the only good snake is a dead snake”. I’ve had the opportunity to get up close and photograph some of our most venomous snakes, and they are breath taking! If people stopped, and took a step back, they might be able to see them from or point of view…Reading your posts I agree whole-heartedly, and am happy to find someone willing to do research on what’s around them. You’ve given me a little more hope in the human race
Hey Emily
Glad you found my site, it’s always nice to hear from someone who has something good to say about snakes, they get too much of a bad press. They are scarier in people’s heads than they are in real life. It’s the people who try to kill snakes that often come off worse. I say just let them be.
Most of the people I meet have the “KILL KILL KILL” attitude too, but fortunately I have also met one or two who have helped me to see their beauty and have shown me there is a different, better reaction and that is to let the snakes just get on with their own lives.
I’d love to hear some of your snakes stories and see some of those pictures and feature them here on this blog. If you’re interested, just send me an email via the contact form.
Cheers
Rob