What’s your first reaction to seeing a snake in the wild? Hold on! let me rephrase how you feel about snakes in your backyard!? 

In the ACT, various suburbs are surrounded by bushland nature reserves, the perfect habitat for Australia’s Eastern Brown Snake (Pseudonaja Textilis). This proximity between snake habitats and suburban homes encourages Eastern Brown Snakes to explore beyond the safety of their ecosystem and into backyards. This consequently provokes human-wildlife conflicts, resulting in snakebites to humans and pets, and homeowners attacking the species. Understandably, homeowners are not too happy with snakes venturing into their backyards. However, the snakes are also placed in a vulnerable position. 

When natural ecosystems coexist within urbanised areas, biodiversity is prone to experiencing human threats, with disruption to the natural function of ecosystems. However, the Eastern Brown Snake has adapted to urban development, and benefits from the sufficient food resources (rodents and lizards) found in suburban homes. 

Therefore, the main issue is Eastern Brown Snake prevalence in backyards. It is quite a backwards situation as rather than the humans invading the snake habitat; the Eastern Brown Snake is invading the human habitat! This is placing both humans and snakes at risk. 

(Eastern Brown Snake, ACT)

So how can we stop this from happening? 

Good question! 

Management needs to be implemented to decrease negative interactions between humans and snakes. Well, good news! This is currently being actioned by The Canberra Snake Tracking Project!

The Canberra Snake Tracking Project is led by A/Prof Gavin Smith and is funded by various government organisations. This project is tracking several snakes via radio-telemetry technology, to collect baseline data on the movement ecology and behavioural characteristics of the Eastern Brown Snake. Radio telemetry is a transmission-receiving system, that receives signals from a tag surgically implanted in each of the snakes being tracked, by a wildlife vet. 

(Radio telemetry handheld satellite recording transmitter tag signals)

Working in affiliation with the project is the Canberra Snake Catcher service. A free professional snake removal service that captures and relocates snakes from backyards to suitable habitats. A selection of these snakes have been translocated to different habitats for research purposes and are currently being tracked for the project. The movement data collected on these translocated snakes is compared to snakes the project is tracking in their natural habitat. This data regulates survivability rates and habitat suitability, helping to determine the success of translocation as a conservation management strategy. 

I was given the opportunity to experience tracking these snakes firsthand, under the guidance of A/Prof Gavin Smith. My experience involved physically tracking the snakes and observing their behaviours, intrinsic attributes, and interactions within their natural ecosystem. This species was incredibly captivating to watch, with each snake demonstrating unique characteristics.

This links to another aim of the Canberra Snake Tracking Project. Helping communities to better understand Eastern Brown Snakes, ultimately improving society’s knowledge and relationship with the species. Providing educational information will have a positive impact on conservation outcomes.  

(Eastern Brown Snake, ACT)

What can you do to help?

Volunteer! The Canberra Snake Tracking Project provides the opportunity for volunteers to help with the collection of data. With appropriate guidance and safety training, volunteers can spend time helping to track and monitor the Eastern Brown Snakes, contributing to conservation management. From a personal experience, this species is fascinating to observe in its natural habitat! Oh, and radiotelemetry is also quite fun to use! 

These conservation efforts have the capacity to prevent further human-wildlife conflicts. With the success of the project, Eastern Brown Snakes can be protected from the threats of urban development, and humans can reassuringly enjoy time in the comfort of their own backyard.

I was given the opportunity to experience tracking these snakes firsthand, under the guidance of A/Prof Gavin Smith. My experience involved physically tracking the snakes and observing their behaviours, intrinsic attributes, and interactions within their natural ecosystem. This species was incredibly captivating to watch, with each snake demonstrating unique characteristics.

This links to another aim of the Canberra Snake Tracking Project. Helping communities to better understand Eastern Brown Snakes, ultimately improving society’s knowledge and relationship with the species. Providing educational information will have a positive impact on conservation outcomes.  

What can you do to help?

Volunteer! The Canberra Snake Tracking Project provides the opportunity for volunteers to help with the collection of data. With appropriate guidance and safety training, volunteers can spend time helping to track and monitor the Eastern Brown Snakes, contributing to conservation management. From a personal experience, this species is fascinating to observe in its natural habitat! Oh, and radiotelemetry is also quite fun to use! 

These conservation efforts have the capacity to prevent further human-wildlife conflicts. With the success of the project, Eastern Brown Snakes can be protected from the threats of urban development, and humans can reassuringly enjoy time in the comfort of their own backyard.

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