Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Tuesday, February uary 10, 2009

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Snake alert BY SANDRA MORELLO Email: [email protected]

A MOUNT Gambier snake catcher has warned residents to be vigilant following two snakes being discovered in houses. David Miles has also warned people to be careful around the crater lakes area, which can be a haven for the slippery reptiles. “The lakes area is snake country, people should be aware that they are around,” Mr Miles said. “There was a copperhead near the lakes area on Boxing Day.” While he has had only six call-outs this summer, he said two of these were to snakes in houses at Nangwarry and Donovans. “Snakes come inside houses on really hot days to find shade and cool conditions,” Mr Miles said. He said snakes had also been reported in the centre of town, but declined to reveal the locations in a bid not to panic people. “They do come into town. They crawl down drains, along fences and basically go anywhere they want to go,” Mr Miles said. He said he had caught a number of brown snakes in the district this summer, which were the second deadliest snake in the world. “They are more toxic than the Indian cobra,” Mr Miles said. He said snakes were more likely to come inside houses during very hot weather to find

WEATHER

shady cool conditions. However, Mr Miles warned snakes would begin to move more as the temperature cooled. “They will become more active and start hunting for food,” he said. He said the number of snake sightings reported varied each year. “You will only see about 1pc of the snakes that you walk past,” said Mr Miles, who has never been bitten despite catching more than 150 highly poisonous snakes in the district. He encouraged people to carry four-inch bandages and a mobile when walking around the crater lakes. “If people get bitten, they should apply the proper first aid. You should always get help to go to you than you go to get help,” Mr Miles said. He stressed it was important people remained calm during these situations. Meanwhile, Mr Miles - who is also a member of the Friends of Animals South East - said the hot weather had resulted in a number of possums being brought in for care because of heat-related stress. “Koalas, possums and other native animals can suffer heat stress,” he said. “If you see an animal in heat stress people should try to put them in the shade and give them cool water.” But he warned people about approaching koalas which often could be aggressive. Mr Miles can be contacted on 0409 280 837 and Friends of Native Animals South East can be reached on 0427 396 919.

pMount Gambier’s David Miles holds a deadly tiger snake, which was caught at Kalangadoo. Picture: SANDRA MORELLO.

Mount Gambier Today - Morning shower or two. 19o – report page 23

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SE residents rally to fire victims’ aid BY SANDRA MORELLO Email: [email protected]

THE South East community is rallying behind the devastated bushfire zones of Victoria, as the region sends volunteer firefighters into the epicentre of the disaster and Mount Gambier welfare agencies are inundated with calls from people wanting to help. St John Ambulance personnel from the South East are also on standby to move into the disaster areas, while welfare agencies such as St Vincent de Paul in Mount Gambier are collecting blankets, clothes and food for Victorians who have been caught up in the deadly inferno. A number of Mount Gambier transport companies have already offered to transport donated goods into the fire zones. The farming community, who remember the generosity of Victorians following the horrific Ash Wednesday fires in the South East, is also expected to send semitrailer loads of hay into the blackened areas. Port MacDonnell firefighter Dennis Merrett was among the Port MacDonnell volunteers who flew into the Gippsland fire zone on Sunday night. After being briefed by fire officials yesterday morning, Mr Merrett spoke briefly to The Border Watch as he headed into the centre of the fire zone in a strike truck. “I don’t know where I am really going,” said Mr Merrett, as fire sirens sounded in the background. “We are just going towards a hill and everything is black, just black. “Sorry, but I have got to go now.” Port MacDonnell and District CFS group officer Garry Talbot said yesterday the Mount Gambier district would be sending more volunteers into the fire zones “for a while yet”. “It will be dirty, horrible and depressing work for these volunteers. They are doing a great thing for Victorians,” Mr Talbot said. Continued page 4

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