Every week at work we have a meeting that starts with a series of safety shares. Through these I have learned about some of Australia's deadliest animals, including snakes, spiders and sharks. Some safety shares are about the latest beach to be closed from a shark spotting while others talk about the latest deadly insect that they've been seeing an abundance of in their gardens. One share involved my manager telling everybody how he had steered slightly out of his way to run over a snake in the road. He thought he was doing his town a favor, since he was driving by a playground. A lengthy discussion ensued as to whether or not he had helped or harmed the community as other snakes might fight over the new territory and become more aggressive.
Stories like these aren't uncommon, as evidenced by some of the latest local headlines:
- A Darwin schoolgirl reached into her backpack to find a snake, luckily a non-venomous variety.
- A man working on his computer at home, barefoot, was bitten on his toe by a western brown snake and killed.
No wonder we see signs like these everywhere:
That photograph was taken during my recent visit to Cape Leeuwin, a lighthouse on the most south-westerly point of Australia, where the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean. After paying admission for the grounds, the groundsman pulled out a series of photographs of snakes that can be found on the property, including the deadliest snake in Australia. Great way to kick-off the visit!
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