Snakes are getting out and about again so the Central Western Daily has caught up with Orange Snake Services snake catcher Jake Hansen about his love of snakes, how he got into catch and release and how he manages it with his day job.
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1. When did you first become interested in snakes and what sparked your interest?
My mum says I used to go out into the garden and catch lizards while I was in nappies so it goes back farther than I can remember.
I graduated from catching small lizards in the garden as a toddler, to bringing home bigger lizards from the bush and then eventually onto snakes.
My parents were always supportive and dad's family used to have a wildlife sanctuary out on Wood's Lane where they had a modest collection of non venomous and venomous snakes so he grew up with them too.
He showed me my first venomous snake, a copperhead when I was probably about seven or eight and taught me to respect them as a normal part of nature and I've been hooked ever since.
2. How did you learn to catch and handle snakes and how long have you been doing it?
I caught my first venomous snake when I was in high school. I used to watch a lot of Harry Butler reruns so I just copied the way he did it.
You learn just by spending time with snakes and observing their behaviour, their body mechanics and how they react to you.
I have caught snakes at various times over the years but didn't get a licence to be able to do catch and release until seven years ago.
3. What is your favourite snake to catch and favourite snake in general?
My favourite snake to catch and in general is not a snake you will find locally - a coastal taipan.
They are the longest venomous snake in Australia (can be over three metres).
They are large, fast, alert and considered by many to be the most challenging venomous snake to handle.
They have very good eyesight and seem to have a bit more going on upstairs than most other snakes too.
4. How do you manage your snake catching business with your job as an optometrist?
My snake catching business is something I do on the side. It's usually restricted to lunchtimes, days off and weekends.
5. What is the biggest misconception about snakes and what do you want people to know about them?
Probably the biggest misconception is that people think that snake's think like people do.
People project human qualities onto them like aggression, anger, being mean etc. In reality they are just like other wild animals - very fearful of humans and their behaviour is instinctual: They look for food, they look for breeding partners, they want to avoid predators, they defend themselves when they can't escape.
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Tanya Marschke
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
