Snake Bite First Aid & Info | Rhys Chapman Wildlife Services

Here is a collection of valuable information to assist with living with & helping our native fauna.

Made into convenient posters available for purchase in our store

SNAKE BITE FIRST-AID

Always seek urgent medical attention - 000

Apply a pressure immobilisation bandage and keep the person calm an as still as possible until medical help arrives. Specific and Polyvalent Antivenin is available for our native venomous snake bites.

Never attempt to catch, kill or approach the snake. It’s important to be aware that bites from snakes can cause a mild-severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) in some people and all snake bites should be treated seriously and medical attention should be sought immediately.

TIPS TO DETER SNAKES FROM CALLING YOUR YARD HOME

Keep your grass short and don't leave debris laying around
Do not leave building materials laying around & store upright/off the ground
Store pet food appropriately and feed only what needed & what's consumed
Elimante 'hidey-holes' and store shoes, toys and things alike inside

There's plenty of things that can be done to help deter snakes but a clean, tidy & rodent free yard is the best start. Don't be fooled by expensive products and myths.

WHAT TO DO IN A SNAKE ENCOUNTER

INDOORS

Remain calm & slowly back away from the snake, ensure the safety of yourself, family and then pets
Isolate the room by closing the door and placing a towel at the bottom of the door if safe to do so
If the room cannot be isolated or it's not safe to place a towel down, exit the area closing any doors you can behind you
Contact a licensed, experienced snake catcher

OUTDOORS

Remain calm, stand still & allow it to move on
If you're at a safe distance (a good metre or two is usually suffice) slowly back away from the snake
Bring family/pets inside/to your side
If the snake is in your yard and it is safe to do so try to take a photo of the snake, contact a licensed, experienced snake catcher for identification & advice
More often then not give the snake a little space and time it will move on

Save your local snake catchers number in your phone, more often than not a situation can be handled with some simple advice, plus you're better to have it saved and not need it.

ENCOUNTERED INJURED WILDLIFE?
(BABY BIRDS EXCLUDED)

First and foremost do not put yourself or others in any unnecessary danger.

If driving only stop if safe to do so and if you do stop make sure to pull a safe distance off the road & active your hazard lights. If, and only if it is safe to do so, warn oncoming traffic, pedestrians & others of the hazard (injured wildlife)

It is important to check the status of the animal as often people continue driving after hitting an animal leaving it heavily injured on the side of the road, likely to slowly & painfully pass away

If you see something that doesn't seem right call it in, sometimes it's just simple advice but others can mean the difference between life and death for some of the cases.

WILVOS - 07 5441 6200

RSPCA - 1300ANIMAL (300-264-625)

EUMUNDI WILDLIFE REHABILITATION CENTRE - 07 5442 8057

AUSTRALIA ZOO WILDLIFE HOSPITAL - 1300 369 652

QLD BAT RESCUE - 0488 228 134

TWINNIES PELICAN & SEABIRD RESCUE - 0421 476 561

SUNSHINE COAST KOALA RESCUE - 0423 618 740/0431 300 729

THE WILDLIFE RESCUER - 0435 527 223 (SUNSHINE COAST)

NOOSA WILDLIFE - 0419 046 999

COOLUM & NORTH SHORE COAST CARE - 0478 435 377

MARINE STRANDING HOTLINE - 1300 130 372

FOUND A BABY BIRD?

Most of the baby birds people find are fledglings. These are young birds that have just left the nest, and can’t fly yet, but are still under the care of their parents, and do not need our help.

When fledglings leave their nest they rarely return, so even if you see the nest it’s not a good idea to put the bird back in—it will hop right back out. Usually there is no reason to intervene at all beyond putting the bird on a nearby perch out of harm’s way and keeping pets indoors. The parents may be attending to four or five young scattered in different directions, but they will return to care for the one you have found. You can watch from a distance to make sure the parents are returning to care for the fledgling.

If the baby bird is sparsely feathered and not capable of hopping, walking, flitting, or gripping tightly to your finger, it’s a nestling. If so, the nest is almost certainly nearby. If you can find the nest (it may be well hidden), put the bird back as quickly as possible.

Do not worry; the parents will not abandon a baby if it has been touched by humans.

If the nest has been destroyed you can make a new nest using a bucket, box,

ice-cream container, etc.

If you see something that doesn't seem right call it in, sometimes it's just simple advice but in other cases it can mean the difference between life and death for some of the cases.

WILVOS - 07 5441 6200

RSPCA - 1300ANIMAL (300-264-625)

EUMUNDI WILDLIFE REHABILITATION CENTRE - 07 5442 8057

AUSTRALIA ZOO WILDLIFE HOSPITAL - 1300 369 652

TWINNIES PELICAN & SEABIRD RESCUE - 0421 476 561

THE WILDLIFE RESCUER - 0435 527 223 (SUNSHINE COAST)

NOOSA WILDLIFE - 0419 046 999

WHAT TO DO IF FOUND A STRANDED SEA SNAKE

First and foremost nearly all sea snakes are highly venomous.

Stay at a safe distance from the animal and do not touch it. Sea snakes have long fixed front fangs and are capable of envenomation.

Please do not touch the snake or try to push it back into the water. Beached Sea Snakes will likely just wash ashore again; True Sea Snakes have no need to come ashore, so when one becomes stranded, there is most likely an underlying illness or injury, nearly all sea snakes that are stranded have lost weight and are heavily dehydrated.

'Tailing' Sea Snakes is not recommended due to their delicate spines; tailing any individual can separate the vertebrae and injure them further; tailing is the common technique you’ll often see on snake catchers videos, sea snakes cannot be handled like this. Head pinning/head holds can result in a broken neck because sea snakes tend to roll when held. Sea Snakes need our help more than ever. With steep and sudden population declines and many species being endangered and vulnerable to begin with, the least we can do is report beached sea snakes and get them the help they need.

Contact your local snake catcher or wildlife rescue group for advice.

RHYS CHAPMAN WILDLIFE SERVICES - 0422 090 480 (SUNSHINE COAST)

IMPACTS OF ROAMING CATS

It is a fact that both feral and domestic roaming cats in Australia kill billions of animals each year alone. Cats are a major threat to Australian wildlife, and have contributed to the extinction of more than 20 species & bringing hundreds of native animals to the edge of extinction.

Keep your cat indoors, especially at night time (night produces the highest risks for both your cat & native fauna) If your cat is to be outside it's always best to have it contained in a secure cat enclosure, secondly on a lead or run keeping it away from areas wildlife are seen and at a very minimum supervised while out.
If your cat has brought native wildlife to you or you find you cat with native fauna, the animal needs to be seen by a vet ASAP, we don't recommend handling injured native fauna without instructions from an expert for you specific situation. Contact your local wildlife rescue group and follow there instructions (could be to contain the animal, transport the animal to vet, monitor the animal until they arrive).
Keeping your cats indoors and supervised or contained while outside will greatly reduce the risk of your cat being hit by car, getting into fights, causing a nuisance, picking up diseases or in severe cases being killed by other animals/pets.

Think about the impacts of allowing your cat to roam and the devastation they can cause. Theres plenty of options for you, your cat & our native fauna to live harmoniously together. An indoor cat can still be happy & exercised.