Tiger Snake Warning!
The City of Stirling have asked me to warn people that Perth’s Secret Garden, with all it’s beauty and magic, is full of TIGER SNAKES during the summer period. Tiger Snakes are the WORLD’S DEADLIEST SNAKE, so please read this article carefully and share it around.
There are different types of Tiger Snakes in Australia, black, brown and grey; with alternating bands or no bands at all. The ones found in Western Australia are usually black with yellow bands, as pictured above.
Tiger snakes are carnivores, eating birds, lizards, frogs and other small mammals. They are not very active during the day, can be found sleeping in full sun light and hunting during the night. Tiger Snakes LOVE full sun exposure.
See Also: #PerthSecretGarden – Who can visit?
Tiger Snakes are extremely fast and have a reputation for being aggressive. They flatten their head and neck, raising itself like a cobra. This is a defensive posture to try and frighten the prey away, however, the Tiger Snake rarely bites unless it feels threatened or is provoked.
I visited our garden today and was amazed to see these huge ‘reed like’ high grasses that have filled in the space that previously ran with vines. The photograph above was taken today, the photograph below is of the exact same area back on July 1st, 2015:
It’s not too swamp-like with the high grasses now, the vines are twirling around the ‘reeds’ in some kind of beautiful waltz. There is a swamp nearby, which Tiger Snakes love. Walking through the ‘reeds’ are not ideal, even though there seems to be a ‘pathway’ through them which is pictured below. You could disturb the snakes, put yourself in danger or be bitten and with all those vines twirling around, you cannot run or escape through then should you see a snake.
What to do if you see a snake
RUN! DO NOT RUN! Stop, slowly turn around making no sudden moves and slowly walk away. As mentioned earlier, Tiger Snakes generally won’t attack and will be the first to flee BUT if it’s feeling threatened or provoke, it will strike very fast.
DO NOT take photographs for social media. Leaning forward or near the snake to get a photo will provoke it. (Please see above about the consequences of a provoked snake)
If you see the many tourist that visit the garden, leaning over trying to photograph something in excitement, please alert them straight away to the dangers of snakes and point them in the direction of a reptile centre or the zoo.
Here is an information sheet on Tiger Snakes from the Perth Zoo
Tiger-Snake-Fact-Sheet-2012
What to do if you are bitten by a snake
Get a good look at what you have been bitten by, the coloring and any markings.
Stay calm and don’t move, but make sure the snake has fled the scene. Being calm, although hard to do when you have been bitten, will save you life and will prevent the venom from being spread around your body. Ring 000 immediately!
The most easiest access to the garden for an ambulance is on the corner of Careniup Ave and Warrener Garden. These two streets intercept a small driveway that leads to the entrance to the garden via the sinking bridge over the swamp. (Pictured below). You can’t see this from the road as it’s blocked by a massive fern. Tell the Ambulance this and that you are in the suburb of Careniup.
Vital snake bite information
The Australian Pressure Immobilization Method of First Aid is successful -IF YOU HAVE BEEN BITTEN ON THE LIMBS ONLY! Check out the link below!
http://www.toxinology.com/fusebox.cfm?staticaction=snakes/ns-sntreat04.htm
Here is another great page to look at for information on Australian Tiger and Brown snakes.
http://www.ozemedicine.com/wiki/doku.php?id=snakebites_tiger_brown
This is why we don’t go into long grass!
