Australia’s worst drought in a generation: Ask the snakes!
Australians are facing an increasing snake menace
as searing weather bites and the country’s worst drought in a generation
rolls on.
Australians are facing an increasing snake menace as searing weather bites and the country’s worst drought in a generation rolls on.
A 16-year-old boy died in Sydney a week ago after being bitten by an Eastern Brown snake – one of the world’s deadliest – while in Darwin another brown snake killed a man in his suburban garden.
“Snakes do drink water and we are seeing a lot more brown snakes than we are other snakes, because they really like the open and cleared land in towns,” Rayner said.
“The problem is they are also more defensive, so they will actually stand their ground and do multiple bites rather than slither away, like Tiger Snakes and Red Belly Blacks.”
Australia has some of the world’s deadliest snakes, with at least 12 capable of killing humans among 100 venomous varieties. Several are more venomous than cobras, but unlike brown snakes are shy and will retreat if faced by humans.
Eeoouuw!
Posted: Sun - January 28, 2007 at 01:14 PM