G'Day Team,
Welcome to the new Heiman Heralds. In these regular posts, we’ll share with you our thoughts, tips and insights on issues that shape who we are as outdoors-people. Sometimes we’ll post tips and hints - and other times we’ll get down and gritty as we observe what’s going on around us in our environment both close and far away: Sometimes it will be good. Sometimes it will be bad. And as many of us appreciate - in this vast Brown Land, when it get’s bad it can get pretty deadly, pretty quickly. So it’s always worth taking stock and learning from others’ mistakes and lucky escapes.
But to get the ball rolling, let’s just keep it simple for now. Let’s talk about snakes.
Here in the south-east of Australia, the weather is still warm and the reptiles are still active. So here are our top tips to avoid being bitten:
1. Wear boots and long pants when in the bush.
2. Be extra vigilant when picking up fire wood.
3. NEVER attempt to pick up a snake, or poke it etc.
4. Most snakes live off of insects, rodents, birds, eggs, fish, frogs, lizards and small mammals. So we’re not part of their food chain. So let them know that something too big for them to tackle is in the vicinity by stomping your feet every now and then. Do this regularly and most reptiles will get out of your way as quickly as they can.
5. Stick to trails where available, and avoid long grass. If you can hear frogs, be extra vigilant as frogs are a favorite prey of snakes .
6. Never hunt, fish or hike alone. Friends and colleagues can help when you're in trouble. And the more of you there are, the more likely it is that a snake will hear/feel you approaching and move out of your way.
7. Don't make the snake feel trapped leave it with an avenue of escape.
It all sounds pretty simple doesn’t it? Maybe so. But it remains the case that just under 600 people in Australia are admitted to hospitals annually with snake bite. So some of us obviously still have something to learn…
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