Spiders and Snakes Take Over the Senior Citizens Centre

The Lilydale Senior Citizens Centre opened to its doors for some very special guests when Michael from Black Snake Productions gave a snake safety talk to an audience of more than seventy local residents.

An Eastern Brown Snake, a Copperhead Snake, two Tiger Snakes, a Red Bellied Black Snake and several spiders remained safe and secure in their portable homes as Michael talked about awareness and preventative measures in regards to snakes, how to identify where snakes and spiders are likely to be, what landowners can do to minimise the likelihood of snakes hiding near their homes and outbuildings, and what to do in the event someone is bitten by a snake or spider.

The two hour session included real life snake bite victim examples and the circumstances they found themselves in, close-up viewing of replica skeletons of snake heads complete with fangs, a jar of dried venom and an introduction to a Golden Huntsman – the largest of Australian Huntsman spider.

Jarryd, an audience member, volunteered to have his arm placed in a pressure bandage as Michael demonstrated how to correctly apply a bandage to a snake bite area.

At the end of the session there was plenty of time for questions and to meet and greet Casper the Black Headed Python (non-venomous) who doesn’t like to sit still for very long.

Our next event in the 2019 Environmental events series is a Powerful Owl talk and spotlighting tour in late October. If you are interested please register online as numbers are limited.